Most breakthroughs in space don’t begin as fully formed missions. They begin as questions that are still early, exploratory or simply too uncertain and interdisciplinary for traditional funding paths. 

At Georgia Tech, the Space Research Institute (SRI) brings together space research efforts across campus to answer those questions. 

This year, SRI announced the inaugural recipients of its new Centers, Programs and Initiatives (CPI) seed grant program, with awards to fund 17 research centers, programs and initiatives spanning five colleges and 11 schools across Georgia Tech.  

“This first cohort represents the breadth and ambition of space research at Georgia Tech,” said Jud Ready, executive director of the Space Research Institute. “Our goal is to support researchers across the whole arc, from pressure-testing early ideas to helping more mature efforts reach the next stage of technology readiness and development.” 

Structured across three progressive tiers—Centers, Programs, and Initiatives—the CPI Seed Grant program is open to all faculty and staff from any Georgia Tech college or affiliated organization, including the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²). Launched this year and planned as an annual program across all three tiers, it is designed to meet teams where they are and to help promising ideas gain the collaboration networks needed to scale into major research efforts. 

This year’s awardees explore topics across the spectrum of modern space research, covering satellite-based cloud computing, analog space missions, supermassive black hole binaries, radar-equipped rovers for lunar exploration, climate sensing, human performance beyond Earth, and a dozen other space-related research areas at Georgia Tech.  

Together, the projects map onto SRI’s core themes: making space more accessible; living beyond Earth; assured access to space; how space helps us understand our place in the universe; policy, international affairs, and commercialization. 

During their funding period, CPI teams are expected to demonstrate excellence across three core areas: advancing scientific and technological innovation, developing talent, and pursuing work with clear societal or economic relevance. That may take many forms, from publications, prototypes, and interdisciplinary mentorship opportunities to training students and postdocs in space-related skills, to laying the groundwork for commercialization, or addressing challenges such as climate change or disaster mitigation. 

Each team will use its funding differently—supporting workshops on campus, conference travel, prototyping, experimentation, or visits with collaborators or sponsors —but all share a common trajectory. The CPI program is designed to nurture teams into viable, externally funded, multi-investigator research efforts, providing the momentum needed to compete for major national and international awards.  

With these 17 seed grants, SRI is creating pathways for ideas that begin on campus to shape missions, technologies, and scientific discoveries beyond it. 

Faculty and staff interested in getting involved can attend the January 28 SRI luncheon, where each awardee will briefly present their work and recruit collaborators. 

The Fall 2025 SRI CPI Seed Grant recipients are: