NASA Programs

The South Dakota NASA EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) program leverages NASA funding to improve research capacity in science and engineering fields that are critical to NASA’s mission and to promote science- and technology-based economic development in the state. 

NASA EPSCoR funding to states has two separate components: 

• Research Infrastructure Development (RID) awards provide base funding of $200,000 per year and promote research collaborations through seed grants and travel to NASA Centers. RID funding also supports research collaborations between tribal universities and the state’s public and private universities.  

• Nationally competitive major Research Awards of $750,000 for a three-year period support specific research projects that align with state and NASA priorities.

The South Dakota Space Grant is one of 52 state-based consortia authorized by Congress and supported by NASA’s Office of STEM Education with the goal of maintaining the nation’s leadership in aeronautics and space exploration.  Established in 1991, the vision of the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium (SDSGC) is “to expand opportunities for all South Dakotans through education, research, and public service in the fields of aerospace, earth science, and supporting disciplines in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).”  Major SDSGC programs include:

• fellowships for college students in STEM degrees, 
• internships at NASA centers and aerospace industry, 
• college robotics and interdisciplinary engineering design teams, 
• seed grants for innovative research and education projects, and 
• K-12 teacher grants and student/classroom opportunities including precollege robotics.