Puerto Rico NASA EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Development Augmentation

Established in 1994 by the Resource Center for Science and Engineering (RCSE) of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Puerto Rico NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (PR NASA EPSCoR) implements strategic tasks and projects directed at enhancing Puerto Rico’s research competitiveness and infrastructure, science and technology capabilities, and higher education, while building the core strength required to engage in technology development methods and activities for the solution of scientific and technical problems of importance to NASA in alignment with NASA’s Mission.

The goal of the PR NASA EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Development (RID) program is to build in Puerto Rico the core strength needed to increase competitive research and technology development methods and activities for the solution of scientific and technical problems of importance to NASA in coordination and collaboration with NASA Centers and Mission Directorates and other research centers around the Nation that seek to advance U.S. scientific, security, and economic interests through a robust space exploration program.

PR NASA EPSCoR RID supports the initiation of new research projects in collaboration with NASA Centers and Mission Directorates that expand Puerto Rico's capabilities in NASA mission-related sciences and technology-development projects. To encourage and nurture activities that advance NASA’s research priorities, the RID projects are competitively selected based on their connection, interaction, and relevance to NASA centers. The evaluation criteria include: intrinsic scientific and/or technical merit; alignment with NASA technology needs; relevance to, partnerships with, and interactions with the jurisdiction; credentials and track record of the investigators.

The emphasis is placed on developing a core expertise capable of successfully competing for funds from NASA and non-NASA sources outside of the EPSCoR program. With the guidance and support of the Technical Advisory Committee, the RID researchers receive technical assistance to transition their projects progressively toward gaining support from sources outside the NASA EPSCoR program by aggressively pursuing additional funding opportunities offered by industry and other sources.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.