RID Program

NASA’s Office of Education solicits proposals for the NASA EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Development (RID) program on a periodic basis to ensure continual funding of infrastructure- building programs. The NASA EPSCoR RID program focuses on building the core strength needed to grow each state’s competitive research and technology development methods and activities.

NASA EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Development (RID)

Photo credit: NASA/Dimitrios Gerondidakis

The result of this effort will aid in the solution of scientific and technical problems of importance to NASA as defined by one or more of the four Mission Directorates and/or one or more of the ten NASA Centers (including JPL). The program also contributes to the overall research infrastructure, science and technology capabilities, higher education, and/or economic development of the EPSCoR jurisdiction. Funds are awarded to the state to sub-award via three types of solicitations within the state. The three solicitations managed under the RID program include: travel, workshop and seed grant awards.

A NASA EPSCoR goal is to facilitate new research collaborations among NASA Centers and NSHE faculty by competitively awarding travel grants and workshop funds. This support should produce new collaborations and at least one proposal submission (to NASA or another federal agency) that is responsive to the needs/goals of Nevada and/or NASA. There is no institutional match required for these travel and workshop funding requests.

The overall goals of the NV EPSCoR RID program are

  • Improve the capabilities of Nevada faculty/researchers to gain support from sources
  • Contribute to the overall research infrastructure, science and technology capabilities,
  • Develop partnerships between Nevada research assets, NASA Centers, and industry;
  • Work in close coordination with the NASA Space Grant program to improve the outside the NASA EPSCoR program that are most relevant to NASA research and missions; higher education, and/or economic development of Nevada; and environment for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education in Nevada.

Combining the program goals, the overall goal for this RID solicitation is to: improve Nevada’s research infrastructure and competitiveness by enhancing existing or building new collaborations leading to the development and submission of proposals that align with NSHE’s, the State’s and NASA’s strategic objectives. The science priorities for the current RID grant focus on research efforts that meet NSHE, NV and NASA strategic objectives and include the following topics. (NASA strategic objectives, from the 2014 NASA Strategic Plan, addressed by these priorities are listed after each priority focus area.)

  • Autonomous systems for extraterrestrial and terrestrial missions; (NASA Objective 1.1:
  • Materials science; (NASA Objective 1.1 –stated above, and NASA Objective 1.7: Expand human presence into the solar system and to the surface of Mars to advance exploration, science, innovation, benefits to humanity and international collaboration; NASA Objective 2.1: Enable a revolutionary transformation for safe and sustainable U.S. and global aviation by advancing aeronautics research, and Armstrong Flight Research Center Strategic Goal 2) Transform NASA missions and advance the National’s capabilities by maturing crosscutting and innovative space technologies)
  • Advanced assimilation of satellite observations for earth system models and planetary surface processes; (NASA Objective 2.2 Advance knowledge of Earth as a system to meet the challenges of environmental change, and to improve life on our planet)
  • Initiation of a CubeSat project (NASA Objective 2.2 –stated 2 Workshops Topical workshops provide a unique opportunity for NSHE researchers to discuss and form collaborations for training and proposal development purposes. Workshop awards may provide one to two days of meeting time for specific training and proposal development efforts. Workshops also provide potential to develop collaborations among NSHE faculty, NASA scientists / engineers and industry.