New Development for Louisiana Aerospace Research Augmentation

Louisiana’s commitment to Aerospace Science & Technology development has been well established over the decades. We have a diverse cadre of researchers working on active NASA & NASA-related projects across institutions and facilities in the state, and there is an increasing understanding that a highly skilled technical workforce is necessary for our long-term goals. The NASA ESPCoR program is a crucial contributor to the continued growth of Aerospace Science & Technology development. Louisiana participates in all of the agency EPSCoR programs through the Office of Sponsored Programs at the Louisiana Board of Regents (BoR), which provides state matching funds and, consequently, acts as the fiscal agent for the EPSCoR programs. Program management & technical oversight is conducted primarily out of the Louisiana Space Grant/NASA EPSCoR office housed at LSU. The two offices work intandem to fulfill the mission-driven requirements of NASA while buoying the infrastructure development needs of the state.

Louisiana’s strategy for EPSCoR success involves Engagement, Collaboration and Partnership. We engage faculty, post-docs, and students in performing research projects; we develop Collaborations/Mentorships between NASA scientists/engineers and the Louisiana research community, and we establish Partnerships between educational institutions (minority and majority) and with external facilities and other agencies. We are currently working with most of the designated research universities in the State, many of the smaller less research-intensive institutions, with the Michoud Facility in New Orleans, and with Stennis Space Center through both EPSCoR and the Louisiana Space Grant (LaSPACE). The NASA EPSCoR RID Award provides financial support and a framework to improve the research infrastructure in Louisiana while supporting the mission goals at NASA.

During our previous 3-year cycle alone – through several small-scale, but targeted programs – we supported 13 different faculty researchers, representing 7 different Louisiana Universities (LaTech, LSU, Southern-BR, Southern-NO, ULL, UNO, and Xavier) to conduct research projects in collaboration with 11 NASA researchers from 5 NASA Centers (Ames, Glenn, Johnson, Marshall, and Stennis). In June 2018 Louisiana NASA EPSCoR RID funding will bring a dozen researchers from 7 campuses to Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland for a NASA Technical Interchange Meeting. These meetings allow interested Louisiana researchers an opportunity to discuss current projects and support needs with active NASA scientists and engineers, which could lead to future collaborations. Our goal for the next three years is to build upon our previous successful TAP, SAR, & RAP subprograms to expand and improve New Development for Louisiana Aerospace Research.”

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.