Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington                June 12, 2002
(Phone: 202/358-1979)

RELEASE: c02-n

SEVEN UNIVERSITIES SELECTED AS NASA INSTITUTES

     The Office of Aerospace Technology AT NASA Headquarters 
in Washington, in cooperation with the Department of Defense 
Research and Engineering Office, is taking a major step 
towards forging a stronger and expanded relationship with 
academia by establishing seven University Research, 
Engineering and Technology Institutes (URETI), each in an 
area of long-term strategic interest to the agency and the 
nation.  

The universities selected for negotiation of cooperative 
agreements with NASA as collaborative URETI partners are:  
*  Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga., for aero-
propulsion and power
*  University of Florida, Gainesville, and the University of 
Maryland, College Park, for third generation reusable launch 
vehicles
*  University of California, Los Angeles, for bio-nano-
information technology fusion
*  Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., and Texas A&M 
University, College Station, for bio-nanotechnology materials 
and structures for aerospace vehicles
*  Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., for 
nanoelectronics and computing

The primary role of each university-based institute will be 
to perform research and development that not only increases 
fundamental understanding of phenomena, but also moves 
fundamental advances from scientific discovery to basic 
technology. The institutes also will provide support for 
undergraduate and graduate students, curriculum development, 
personnel exchange, learning opportunities and training in 
advanced scientific and engineering concepts for the 
aerospace workforce.

Each cooperative agreement has an initial five-year period of 
performance and a maximum possible duration of ten years at 
approximately three million dollars per year. The award of 
each cooperative agreement is expected in August 2002.

America's academic community has a legacy of research 
accomplishments unequaled anywhere else in the world. Many of 
the most innovative and revolutionary advances in science and 
technology occur in our country's colleges and universities. 
NASA and the Defense Department have been major sponsors and 
beneficiaries of this capability through research grants, 
contracts, cooperative agreements and key university roles in 
flight research programs. 

                           -end-