Alaska NASA EPSCoR program is currently funded through a NASA Research Infrastructure Development (RID) grant. The overarching goal of this NASA EPSCoR RID grant is 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. Three research priority areas, Earth System Science, Technologies for Space and Extreme Environments, and Aeronautics Research, are identified which define the intersection between NASA’s strategic goals as outline in the 2018 NASA Strategic Plan and the research priorities for the state of Alaska as outlined in Alaska Science and Technology Plan – To Build a Fire.
These three areas seek to address current research needs in the state but also to proactively support research areas that could lead to the growth of new industries.
Earth System Science
- NASA Strategic Objective 1.1: Understanding the Sun, Earth, Solar System, and Universe
- Alaska’s S&T Research Priority 4: Renewable Resources – Innovations and strategies to effectively harness the state’s renewables, including fisheries, aquaculture, timber, and agriculture.
- Alaska’s S&T Research Priority 5: Environmental Monitoring and Management – Monitoring and mitigation of environmental change, mapping and remote sensing, fire prevention and response, and geophysical research.
Technologies for Space and Extreme Environments
- NASA’s Strategic Objective 1.2: Understand Responses to Physical and Biological Systems to Spaceflight.
- NASA’s Strategic Objective 2.2: Conduct Human Exploration in Deep Space, Including to the Surface of the Moon.
- Alaska’s S&T Research Priority 5: Environmental Monitoring and Management – Monitoring and mitigation of environmental change, mapping and remote sensing, fire prevention and response, and geophysical research.
- Alaska’s S&T Research Priority 6: Human Health – Delivering effective physical and behavioral health care in the Arctic and subarctic.
- Alaska’s S&T Research Priority 7: Transport, Communications and Information – Land transport, shipping, aviation, aerospace, and telecommunications and information technology in northern environments.
Aeronautics Research
- NASA Strategic Goal 4: Advance aeronautics research for societal benefit.
- NASA’s Strategic Objective 3.2: Transform Aviation through Revolutionary Technology Research, Development, and Transfer
- Alaska’s S&T Research Priority 7: Transport, Communications and Information – Land transport, shipping, aviation, aerospace, and telecommunications and information technology in northern environments
Research Seed Grants
Provide early career faculty, or mid-career faculty seeking to realign their research focus, opportunities to develop collaboration with NASA centers. A research initiation grant is designed to give a PI initial funding for a research topic that is relevant to NASA and its strategic objectives. The goal is for the research to mature so the PI can submit a competitive proposal to one of the NASA’s regular grant programs (http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external) . Maximum funding of $52,700.
- Application Deadline: November 15
- Tentative Award Notification Date: January 15
- Period of performance is one-year. February 1 – January 31 of following year. There will be no extensions. The anticipated reporting deadline for awards made under this solicitation is February 28.
- Report Template
Proposers should provide the names and emails of two potential reviewers when they submit the application. These potential reviewers should agree to reviewing any proposal provided to them. Reviewers should be located in Alaska and be familiar with the general landscape of research in Alaska.