Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

The "NASA EPSCoR-2000" Program is an avenue to drive the state into high technology endeavors, to develop and strengthen long-term academic research enterprises that will make significant contributions to the strategic research and technology priorities of NASA, and, in turn, to contribute to the overall research infrastructure, science and technology capabilities, higher education, and economic development of the State.      This project reflects and builds upon the state's commitment to the development of high technology, as set forth in the Governor's Vision: 2020, a plan for economic renewal that relies on workforce development and industrial diversification built on a platform of academic R&D, innovative technologies and commercialization      The goal of NASA EPSCoR is to Provide funding to enable states to develop an academic research enterprise directed toward nationally competitive capabilities in aerospace research. With the release of the Preparation Grants, NASA introduced a program element that emphasizes strengthening contacts and collaboration with researchers at the NASA Centers while contributing to the four (now five) NASA Enterprises. With the release of the "NASA EPSCoR 2000" solicitation, the program design moves from the "cluster" models in the "original" NASA EPSCoR to a model that links separate research efforts with a plan for developing a core expertise capable of successfully competing at the national level. The program design at a state level, then, consists of four program elements: Core funding for Research Infrastructure Development Research Projects Alignment with state goals and capabilities Program Management      The federal solicitation requires that $125,000 be dedicated for Core Funding for the Research Infrastructure Development element. Our program matches this with state funds from the Louisiana Board of Regents, with institutional commitments, and through sharing of Space Grant facilities and support staff, with the overwhelming proportion of total funds devoted to seed research grants. This dedicated infrastructure development program element includes, along with management, two sub-programs that reflect successful programs initiated under the Preparation Grant. Specifically, these are: Travel Grants - (STAR) restricted to visits to NASA Centers of headquarters to initiate or expand contracts with NASA researchers Seed Project Awards - (DART) awarded competitively to allow researchers to initiate small projects with NASA collaborators.      Also included in Core Funding is management, technology transfer and support for the Technical Advisory Committee, plus indirect and unrecovered indirect costs as required by state and university policies.