NASA created the University Leadership Initiative (ULI) to engage creative and innovative minds in the academic arena to identify significant aeronautics and aviation research challenges and define their unique approach to their solution. This initiative seeks new, innovative ideas that can support the NASA ARMD portfolio and the U.S. aviation community. ULI challenges universities to prove that by working at a system level and bringing together a multi-disciplinary team, working with other parts of their campus, as well as across multiple universities and industrial partners, they can make major advancements in line with the NASA developed community vision for aviation.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene an ad hoc committee to perform an independent review of ULI and recommend options for strengthening the initiative.

The committee will address the following:

1. Assess ULI’s progress towards meeting its goals.

2. Evaluate efforts to increase the participation of women, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and underrepresented and minority participants in ULI.

3. Provide options to increase awareness of ULI among universities, departments, and faculty.

4. Discuss the aviation industry’s perception of ULI and the advantages and disadvantages of their role as a ULI team member.

5. Identify ways to encourage ULI proposals with not just new technologies, but also technologies that support new business models in aviation.