Since its inception in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has pioneered the future, pushed the envelope in scientific and technological achievements and inspired the nation. However, as we journey through the new millennium, NASA is hoping to inspire the next generation of explorers through its numerous educational endeavors and partnerships.

NASA is the nation’s leading research and technology organization, and it is research and technology that is driving the global economy, as we now know it. Employment opportunities in science and engineering are expected to increase at a rate of almost four times greater than all other occupations in this decade, but enrollment in these fields in our universities has declined.

Through its numerous partnerships with universities around the state, NASA has made education and research a core mission element. Presently, according to data assembled by myregion.org , NASA provides direct funding to 12 Florida universities and colleges. In 2000, the University of Miami received $5.2 million, followed by Florida A&M with $3.6 million, the University of Florida with $3.4 million, Florida State University with $2.2 million, and the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida—each with $1.6 million.

In addition, other Central Florida universities that receive funding include $1.1 million to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, $800,000 to Bethune-Cookman College and $200,000 to the Florida Institute of Technology. Furthermore, space-related research within the region is expected to increase when the new International Space Research Park and the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory become operational at the Kennedy Space Center.

Moreover, the Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC), which was formed in 1989 when NASA implemented the national Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, addresses critical national needs in education, research, and service. The Consortium, which is a voluntary association of 17 public and private Florida universities and colleges, is administered through the University of Central Florida and the Florida Space Institute. The Consortium also includes all of Florida's community colleges, as well as the Spaceport Florida Authority, the Higher Education Consortium for Science and Mathematics, and the Kennedy Space Center Astronaut Memorial Foundation.

Consequently, FSGC’s mission is to work closely with Kennedy Space Center as it moves its focus to becoming a Spaceport Technology Center. By doing so, the Consortium supports the expansion and diversification of Florida's space industry and gives greater opportunities to the Florida colleges and universities to perform research and investigations on projects that will be utilized by real-world space-related projects and missions.

America’s academic community has a rich 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. Through research grants, contracts, cooperative agreements and key university roles in research and technology programs, NASA and the world have been major beneficiaries of these triumphs and successes.