University Innovation Project

Mission

The University Innovation project enriches the NASA Aeronautics (ARMD) portfolio with university-led innovation to address system-level challenges, which are outlined in ARMD’s Strategic Implementation Plan. This Project seeks new, innovative ideas that can support the U.S. aviation community and ARMD portfolio.

Strategic Goals

The portfolio’s strategic goals are:

  1. Assist in achieving aviation outcomes defined in the ARMD Strategic Implementation Plan through NASA-complementary research
  2. Transition research results to an appropriate range of stakeholders that leads to a continuation of the research
  3. Provide broad opportunities for education and workforce development by targeting students at different levels, including K-12, community college, undergraduate, and graduate, to participate in aeronautics research and relevant educational opportunities
  4. Promote greater diversity in aeronautics through increased participation of minority-serving institutions and underrepresented university faculties

Portfolio Elements

The UI Project strategic goals are achieved through NASA Research Announcement awards made through:

  • The University Leadership Initiative (ULI) provides the opportunity for university teams to exercise technical and organizational leadership in proposing unique technical challenges, defining interdisciplinary solutions, establishing peer review mechanisms, and applying innovative teaming strategies to strengthen the research impact. By addressing the most complex challenges associated with ARMD strategic thrusts, universities will accelerate progress toward achievement of high impact outcomes while leveraging their capability to bring together the best and brightest minds across many disciplines. In order to transition their research, Principal Investigators are expected to actively explore transition opportunities and pursue follow-on funding from stakeholders and industrial partners during the course of the award. 
  • The University Students Research Challenge (USRC) seeks to develop novel concepts with the potential to create new capabilities in aeronautics by stimulating aeronautics research in the U.S. student community. USRC provides students, from accredited U.S. colleges or universities, with grants for aeronautics projects for which they also raise cost-sharing funds using crowdfunding platforms.
  • The Gateway to Blue Skies Competition seeks to engage a wider base of students from U.S. colleges and universities in exploring aeronautics research, particularly in the areas of zero emissions aviation and climate friendly aviation. The competition provides an avenue for teams of students to submit a shorter, higher-systems level deliverable focusing on a yearly changing Blue Skies theme.

Both ULI and USRC are only open to U.S. universities and their U.S. partners, and proposals are solicited using the NASA Research Announcements. ULI awards are cooperative agreements while USRC awards are grants.  Gateways to Blue Skies is run through a Cooperative Agreement with the National Institute of Aerospace that facilitates the competition.

Project Management

Koushik Datta is the current University Innovation Project Manager for NASA Aeronautics. Mina Cappuccio is the Deputy Project Manager; Andrew Provenza is the Deputy Project Manager for Technology; and Steven Holz is the Assistant Project Manager.

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