FY19 North Dakota NASA EPSCoR Augmentation Funding Proposal

The overall goal of North Dakota NASA EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) is to increase the competitiveness of North Dakota for merit-based grants and contracts in support of science and technology research from federal funding agencies. This mission statement is the guiding principle for all ND NASA EPSCoR program activities. ND NASA EPSCoR has established the following goals, objectives, and priorities, to train the North Dakota workforce in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines of relevance to NASA.

ND NASA EPSCoR goals include: 1) Establish long-term, self-sustaining, nationally-competitive research capabilities in aerospace and STEM disciplines at North Dakota colleges and universities; 2) Promote research in North Dakota of strategic importance to the NASA mission; 3) Promote programming that demonstrates a lasting and positive impact on the overall research infrastructure, STEM capabilities, economic development, and citizens of North Dakota. To accomplish each of these goals, ND NASA EPSCoR has established the following methods/techniques (objectives). 1) Build core competitive research strength in NASA-relevant STEM fields through seed grants awarded to faculty at North Dakota colleges and universities; 2) Promote collaboration and research partnerships through travel grants awarded to North Dakota faculty, staff, and students participating in NASA-relevant research; 3) Support synergistic activities that provide opportunities for North Dakota researchers to participate in meetings, workshops, professional development, and travel to enhance NASA-relevant research initiatives.

ND NASA EPSCoR also focuses on three priorities: 1) diversity, 2) collaboration, and 3) student support. The significance of the seed grants, travel grants, and synergistic activities to NASA can be seen through the five Research Focus Areas (RFAs): RFA A – Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, RFA B – Human Space Exploration, RFA C – Earth Science, RFA D – Materials Science, and RFA E – Small Satellites. These RFAs align with NASA strategic goals 1, 2, and 3. All project elements also align with the NASA Science Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) , and NASA’s Technology Area (TA) Roadmaps. Through this alignment, ND NASA EPSCoR aims to meet NASA’s research and technology development priorities.

This Augmentation Proposal seeks to expand on the ND NASA EPSCoR goals, objectives, and priorities.

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.