About Alaska EPSCoR Program

Spanning the northern arctic and subarctic regions, Alaska is strategically located to support NASA missions across all directorates. Alaska is home to several satellite tracking stations which track and download data from commercial and scientific satellites. Alaska owns and operates the Kodiak Launch Complex, a facility capable of launching scientific and commercial payloads to orbit. The University of Alaska Fairbanks operates the only university owned rocket range in the nation providing sub-orbital scientific rocket launches in support of research on the arctic atmosphere, ionosphere, and aurora. Alaska is an ideal location to perform ground truth calibration of earth observing satellites and models for the arctic and subarctic regions where there is a paucity of such measurements. As a living lab, Alaska provides a harsh, isolated, environment which can be used to inform and evaluate technologies necessary for future off world bases. We are the canary in the coal mine, currently feeling the effects of global climate change, and planning the relocation of rural villages; Shishmaref, Kivalina, and Newtok.

This NASA EPSCoR RID proposal seeks to build Alaska’s research infrastructure and technology capabilities by providing seed funding and incentives that will lead toward long-term, self-sustaining, nationally-competitive capabilities in support of NASA related research and technology priorities.

Goal:

Increase Alaska’s ability to respond to research and technology development needs of NASA and the State and to partner with Alaska’s aerospace industry to expand the space-related capabilities within the State.

Objective 1:

Develop research infrastructure by awarding a minimum of three Research Development Seed Grants per year in areas of strategic importance to NASA and Alaska which lead to a minimum of three follow-on proposals submitted per year.

Objective 2:

Incentivize Research Development Seed Grants and Partnership Development Travel Grants to foster partnerships among Alaska’s academic institutions and/or industry. 25% of Research Development Seed Grants will include multi-institution and/or academic-industry collaboration.

Objective 3:

Facilitate new partnerships with NASA researchers by providing Partnership Development Travel Grants that will lead to a minimum of one new collaborative proposal per year.