Volume 10, Number 5 • September/October 2002 • Aerospace Technology Development

NASA Works to Found Innovative Research Institute

NASA’s oldest research laboratory is working to ensure America’s future dominance in aerospace innovation and education. The Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA is teaming with the National Institute of Aerospace Associates (NIAA) of Reston, VA, a newly formed nonprofit corporation, to create a world-class institute called the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA). The new institute will perform cutting-edge aerospace and atmospheric research, develop new technologies for the nation and help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Locating the NIA at the Langley Research Center will facilitate the Institute’s involvement in agency-sponsored research programs and foster collaboration with NASA, including access to its world-class research facilities.

This innovative government-academic partnership is comprised of a cost-reimbursable, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract and a cooperative agreement. The maximum value of the contract for a five-year base period is $49 million. The value of the basic five-year cooperative agreement is $69 million. If the three five-year options are exercised under the cooperative agreement, the combined potential total value would be $379 million.

The NIAA is made up of seven nonprofit organizations or universities, including: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation, Reston, VA; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA; University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA; University of Maryland, College Park, MD; North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC; North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC; and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.

The Institute is a long-term commitment on the part of NASA to expand collaboration with universities, industry, other government agencies and the broader scientific community to fully leverage expertise inside and outside of government. Once fully operational, the Institute will become a strategic partner, working with NASA to enhance its world-class aerospace and atmospheric research capability. The Institute will complement Langley’s research creativity and expand research and technology development opportunities. In addition, the NIA will be a significant new research and education asset for the nation.

The Institute, through its partner universities, will offer master’s and doctoral degrees in science and engineering using both a local campus and the latest innovations in distance learning. The Institute will also be a catalyst for economic development by stimulating the commercialization of new intellectual property and facilitating the growth of new business opportunities. The Institute will be a prominent new voice promoting the benefits of aerospace research. Q

For more information, contact Dr. Charles E. Harris, NASA Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 110, Hampton, VA 23681, phone: 757/864-3447, fax: 757/864-8980. Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

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