Extension Proposal to Expand Research Infrastructure and Capabilities in North Dakota

The participation of North Dakota in the NASA EPSCoR program was established with the following objectives: build core competitive research strength in North Dakota, conduct research focused on scientific and technical problems of relevance and importance to NASA, focus on collaborative relationships between and among universities in North Dakota, industry, and NASA Centers, improve the environment for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in North Dakota, and contribute to the economic development of the state. ND NASA EPSCoR proposes the following programs to accomplish these goals. The first is to provide faculty seed and travel grants to enhance current research strengths and foster an environment for greater future non-NASA EPSCoR funding. ND NASA EPSCoR will also provide student support (via seed grants), to encourage students to conduct NASA-related research and to pursue NASA relevant science and engineering degrees and careers. ND NASA EPSCoR will also continue to support, via the previously stated programs, the Aerospace Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of North Dakota (first of its kind in the region) in development of emerging research expertise in NASA-relevant areas. ND NASA EPSCoR achieves its goals through seed grants, travel grants, and student support (via seed grants). Many of the Research Focus Areas of ND NASA EPSCoR clearly align with NASA strategic goals 1 and 2. This includes areas in planetary space suit research, analog module development, advanced aeronautics, and climate change and agricultural research. NASA strategic goal 3, development of the workforce to cater to the needs of the space industry is also addressed through these programs.

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.