About NASA’s University Innovation Project (UI) Project
NASA’s University Innovation (UI) Project funds university-led innovation to address the system-level challenges of the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate through NASA’s independent, alternative-track, multidisciplinary awards.
The strategic objectives of the unemployment insurance portfolio, in descending order of importance, are as follows:
1. Help achieve the aviation outcomes defined in the ARMD Strategic Implementation Plan through complementary research at NASA.
2. Transfer research findings to an appropriate range of stakeholders, leading to continued research.
3. Provide broad opportunities for students at different levels, including graduate and undergraduate, to participate in aeronautical research.
The UI Project’s strategic goals are being achieved through two opportunities available through the NASA Research Announcement Awards.
University Leadership Initiative (ULI)
ULI provides academic teams with the opportunity to exercise technical and organizational leadership by proposing unique technical challenges, defining interdisciplinary solutions, establishing peer review mechanisms, and applying innovative team strategies to enhance research impact. By addressing the most complex challenges associated with ARMD’s strategic directions, universities will accelerate progress toward achieving high-impact outcomes while leveraging their ability to bring together the brightest minds across many disciplines. To scale their research, PIs should actively explore transition opportunities and seek follow-on funding from stakeholders and industry partners during the fellowship.
University Student Research Challenge (USRC)
USRC seeks to develop new concepts that can create new capabilities in aeronautics by stimulating aeronautics research within the American student community. The USRC provides students at accredited U.S. colleges or universities with grants for aviation projects that also raise cost-sharing funds using crowdfunding platforms. By including the process of creating and preparing a crowdfunding campaign, USRC can act as an educational accelerator to help students develop their entrepreneurial skills.
Doors to the blue sky
Gateways to Blue Skies expands engagement between universities and NASA’s University Innovation Project, industry and government partners by providing opportunities for multidisciplinary teams of students from all academic levels (i.e. freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduates) to address challenges and opportunities important to the aviation industry through a new project theme each year. The competition is guided by a push towards new technologies as well as aviation that is concerned with the environment and society.
UI Project Page, Technical Discussions on Academic Innovation (UI)
