UND signs Educational Partnership Agreement with Space Development Agency

Agreement will provide opportunities for UND students and faculty, plus SDA personnel

The University of North Dakota has entered into an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The agreement will provide significant educational and research opportunities for UND students and faculty members, and bring SDA personnel to campus to teach and develop science courses.

“The Space Development Agency looks forward to a deeper partnership with the University of North Dakota through the newly signed Educational Partnership Agreement,” said Derek Tournear, director of the SDA. “The agreement encourages the free flow of ideas and facilitates exchange of personnel between SDA and UND, which will benefit both organizations. The future of national security in, from, and to space is strengthened by partnerships like this one.”

News of the agreement was first announced by U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, on Monday, May 12, and follows a recent visit in late April to UND by Cramer, Tournear and Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force.

Along with President Andrew Armacost, the group toured the Mark & Claudia Thompson National Security Corridor in the College of Engineering & Mines, and the John D. Odegard School Of Aerospace Sciences. Tournear, Guetlein and Cramer also toured Grand Forks Air Force Base and the Cavalier Space Force Station.

“This partnership with the Space Development Agency marks a pivotal milestone for our university and recognizes UND as a national leader in the development of space-based capabilities and national security,” said Armacost. “Sen. Cramer has been a resolute advocate for both UND and the SDA, and I am grateful to him and Director Tournear for their leadership in making this collaborative research initiative a reality. Very soon our students and faculty will have many incredible opportunities to work side-by-side with SDA scientists.”

Cramer has been a driving force in securing the EPA. In August 2024, he and SDA officials visited UND to discuss the agreement, as well as other opportunities regarding workforce development.

Scott Snyder, vice president for Research & Economic Development at UND, who also toured with the group in April, said the EPA will open new doors for space and national security research at UND.

“This is both an exciting opportunity for UND students and researchers and a tremendous recognition of our work in national security and space,” Snyder said. “The state of North Dakota and our congressional delegation have provided consistent support to our national security efforts, and this agreement with the SDA is another example of UND harnessing that support to meet the critical needs of our country.”

The EPA offers significant opportunities for both UND and the SDA, including:

• Loaning defense lab equipment to UND, and transferring equipment deemed to be surplus
• Making SDA personnel available to teach and develop science courses
• Providing sabbatical opportunities for UND faculty to the SDA, and internship opportunities for students
• Involving faculty and students in SDA lab research projects
• Providing academic credit to students for working on SDA projects, as well as academic and career advice