Soutli dalcota NASA epscor researcii infrastructure development program the goal of the south dakota NASA epscor research infrastructure development (RID) program is to promote competitive research…

This is a $500,000.00 cooperative agreement awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology for the South Dakota NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Research Infrastructure Development (RID) Program. The goal of this program is to promote competitive research and technology development in South Dakota, with an emphasis on areas of strategic importance to NASA. The program aims to develop new research collaborations between South Dakota's research institutions, including tribal colleges, and NASA centers and mission directorates. The contract does not have a set-aside designation.

Soutli dalcota NASA epscor researcii infrastructure development program the goal of the south dakota NASA epscor research infrastructure development (RID) program is to promote competitive research and technology development in the state with an emphasis on areas of strategic importance to NASA. Attaining that goal requires close coordination among the state's research institutions, government, industry, NASA headquarters, and NASA research and development centers. The unifled organizational structure of the south dakota NASA epscor program and south dakota space grant consortium (sdsgc) is uniquely able to achieve this goal. Moreover, the NASA epscor activities in the state have become increasingly integrated with efforts of other epscor and epscor-like programs resulting in better overall alignment with the broader mission of nurturing and diversifying the nation's scientiflc and engineering research enterprise. The implementation strategy to achieve the AVE major objectives ofthe NASA epscor program focuses on the major stem PH.d.- granting institutions in the state, but also seeks to develop collaborations between those institutions and the seven additional higher education affiliates of the sdsgc, which include two tribal universities, as well as MTH non-affiliated institutions. Because RH) resources are limited, the allocation of these investments in the state is guided by the following criteria: (1) alignment with NASA r & d priorities, (2) development of NASA research contacts, (3) support for state r & d priorities, (4) formation of multi-institution collaborations, (5) meaningful involvement of minority-serving institutions (tribal college) in research, and (6) potential for economic development and industry partnerships. SD NASA epscor offers travel grants and seed grants (research initiation grants) to promote development of new contacts and cooperative research ties with the NASA centers and/or mission directorates. Because south dakota has limited university-based and industry-based aerospace r & d, a major focus of SD NASA epscor is redirection of non-aerospace research assets to efforts that address research and technology development needs of NASA. In the solicitations for research initiation grants and NASA epscor major research grants, explicit emphasis is given to development ofnew or continuing partnerships among colleges and universities in the jurisdiction that will enhance the jurisdiction's abilities to respond to the research and technology development needs of NASA. This NASA epscor RID program proposal outlines south dakota's plan to continue to support improvement of the research environment in south dakota and to further promote technology developments that align with NASA's strategic goals. SD NASA epscor is well positioned to identify and cultivate new research collaborations within the state and with NASA that will increase the state's capacity in stem research and education and effectively address the critical research and development and economic development priorities of the state and NASA.