Funding Wizard

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters has released a solicitation, titled Early Stage Innovations (ESI), as an appendix to the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) umbrella NASA Research Announcement (NRA) titled "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2021 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2021), on April 28, 2021. The solicitation is available by opening the NSPIRES homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ by selecting "Solicitations," then selecting "Open Solicitations," and, finally, selecting "Early Stage Innovations (ESI)."The Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program within STMD seeks proposals from accredited U.S. universities to develop unique, disruptive, or transformational space technologies that have the potential to lead to dramatic improvements at the system level — performance, weight, cost, reliability, operational simplicity, or other figures of merit associated with space flight hardware or missions. The projected impact at the system level must be substantial and clearly defined.Our Nation’s universities couple fundamental research with education, encouraging a culture of innovation based on the discovery of knowledge. Universities are, therefore, ideally positioned to both conduct fundamental space technology research and diffuse newly-found knowledge into society at large through graduate students and industry, government, and other partnerships. STMD investments in space technology research at U.S. universities promote the continued leadership of our universities as an international symbol of the country's scientific innovation, engineering creativity, and technological skill. These investments also create, fortify, and nurture the talent base of highly skilled engineers, scientists, and technologists to improve America’s technological and economic competitiveness.Only accredited U.S. universities are eligible to submit proposals. Teaming is permitted - see solicitation for complete eligibility requirements as well as teaming restrictions.A PI (see solicitation for restrictions) or Co-I may participate in no more than two proposals in response to this solicitation.NASA encourages submission of ESI proposals on behalf of tenure-track faculty members at all U.S. universities and especially encourages proposals submitted on behalf of women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities.The solicitation exclusively seeks proposals that are responsive to one of the five topics:Topic 1 – Advanced Materials for High-Voltage Power Transmission on the MoonTopic 2 – Development of Quantum Communication TechnologiesTopic 3 – Cognitive Networking Advancements for Lunar Communication and NavigationTopic 4 – Supersonic Retropropulsion Wind Tunnel Data AnalysisTopic 5 – Advanced Heat Rejection Technologies for Space-Flight RadiatorsNASA anticipates addressing other topics in future ESI Appendix releases.The financial and programmatic support for ESI comes from the Space Technology Research Grants Program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate. Awards are planned to start in mid-January 2022. NASA plans to make approximately 10 awards as a result of this ESI solicitation, subject to the receipt of meritorious proposals. The actual number of awards will depend on the quality of the proposals received; NASA reserves the right to make no awards under this solicitation.All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES or through Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) by an authorized organizational representative. Notices of Intent (strongly encouraged) are due by May 26, 2021 with proposals due on or before June 28, 2021, 5 pm Eastern. Detailed submission instructions and due dates are provided in the solicitation. Potential proposers and their proposing organizations are urged to familiarize themselves with the submission system(s), ensure they are registered in NSPIRES, and submit the required proposal materials well in advance of the deadline.All technical and programmatic comments and questions may be addressed by email to the Space Technology Research Grants Program Executive, at hq-esi-call@mail.nasa.gov. Responses to inquiries will be answered by email and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.

Based on the availability of funding, proposals from eligible EPSCoR jurisdictions will be accepted and awards selected through a merit-based, peer-review competition for a cooperative agreement of up to $100,000 over 36 months.The following are the specific objectives of NASA EPSCoR:• Contribute to and promote the development of research capability in NASA EPSCoR jurisdictions in areas of strategic importance to the NASA mission;• Improve the capabilities of the NASA EPSCoR jurisdictions to gain support from sources outside the NASA EPSCoR program;• Develop partnerships among NASA research assets, academic institutions, and industry;• Contribute to the overall research infrastructure, science and technology capabilities of higher education, and economic development of the jurisdiction.Per Public Law 102-588, proposals will be accepted only from the 28 NASA EPSCoR Directors at the lead institutions for which they are currently serving.The NASA EPSCoR Directors from the following jurisdictions are eligible to submit one proposal to this NASA EPSCoR solicitation: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, US Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Based on the availability of funding, proposals from eligible EPSCoR jurisdictions will be accepted and awards selected through a merit-based, peer-review competition for a cooperative agreement of up to $750,000 over 36 months.The following are the specific objectives of NASA EPSCoR:• Contribute to and promote the development of research capability in NASA EPSCoR jurisdictions in areas of strategic importance to the NASA mission;• Improve the capabilities of the NASA EPSCoR jurisdictions to gain support from sources outside the NASA EPSCoR program;• Develop partnerships among NASA research assets, academic institutions, and industry;• Contribute to the overall research infrastructure, science and technology capabilities of higher education, and economic development of the jurisdiction.Per Public Law 102-588, proposals will be accepted only from the 26 NASA EPSCoR Directors at the lead institutions for which they are currently serving.The NASA EPSCoR Directors from the following jurisdictions are eligible to submit one proposal to this NASA EPSCoR solicitation: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, US Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Based on the availability of funding, proposals from eligible EPSCoR jurisdictions will be accepted and awards selected through a merit-based, peer-review competition for a cooperative agreement of up to $100,000 over 12 months.The following are the specific objectives of NASA EPSCoR:• Contribute to and promote the development of research capability in NASA EPSCoR jurisdictions in areas of strategic importance to the NASA mission;• Improve the capabilities of the NASA EPSCoR jurisdictions to gain support from sources outside the NASA EPSCoR program;• Develop partnerships among NASA research assets, academic institutions, and industry;• Contribute to the overall research infrastructure, science and technology capabilities of higher education, and economic development of the jurisdiction.Per Public Law 102-588, proposals will be accepted only from the 28 NASA EPSCoR Directors at the lead institutions for which they are currently serving.The NASA EPSCoR Directors from the following jurisdictions are eligible to submit one proposal to this NASA EPSCoR solicitation: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, US Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Lunar Surface Technology Research (LuSTR) Opportunities Appendix Released NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) has released "Lunar Surface Technology Research (LuSTR) Opportunities" as an appendix to the SpaceTech-REDDI-2023 solicitation. The LuSTR appendix is available at https://tinyurl.com/2023LuSTR Only accredited U.S. universities are eligible to submit proposals. Teaming is permitted. See the solicitation for complete eligibility requirements, as well as teaming restrictions. The goal of LuSTR, part of the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII), is to accelerate the development of groundbreaking technologies that support and enable lunar surface activities to be conducted under Artemis – the core of NASA’s exploration and human spaceflight plans for the next decade. As part of the LSII portfolio, LuSTR solicits ideas from universities that can be integrated into Artemis’ sequence of missions that start with the near-term development of enabling infrastructure and lay the foundation for a sustained human and robotic presence. A Principal Investigator (see solicitation for restrictions) or Co-I may participate in no more than two proposals in response to this appendix. The LuSTR Appendix exclusively seeks proposals that are responsive to three LSII focus areas: Dust Mitigation, Extreme Access, and In Situ Resource Utilization. Under these focus areas, LuSTR solicits proposals in response to the following three topics: · Active Dust Mitigation · Lunar Extreme Access and Exploration via Cooperative Multi-Robots · Extraction of Metals from Lunar Regolith for Additive Manufacturing NASA anticipates featuring additional topics, including those in other LSII focus areas, in future Appendix releases. The financial and programmatic support for LuSTR comes from the Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate. The STRG Program within STMD is fostering the development of innovative technologies for advanced space systems. Awards are planned to start in October 2023. NASA plans to make up to 4 awards as a result of this LuSTR solicitation. Total budgets are expected to range between $1M and $2M per award, depending on the scope of the proposed project. NASA reserves the right to make no awards under this solicitation or exceed 4, subject to the receipt of meritorious proposals and the availability of funds. All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES or through Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) by an authorized organizational representative. Notices of Intent (strongly encouraged) are due by March 22, 2023, with proposals due on or before April 24, 2023, 5 pm Eastern. Detailed submission instructions and due dates are provided in the solicitation. Potential proposers and their proposing organizations are urged to familiarize themselves with the submission system(s), ensure they are registered in NSPIRES, and submit the required proposal materials well in advance of the deadline. Technical and programmatic comments and questions may be addressed by email to the solicitation mailbox, hq-LuSTR@mail.nasa.gov. Responses to inquiries will be answered by email and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the Internet site for the release of amendments (if any).

MAIANSE CONNECT fosters STEM Ecosystems that focus on building connections between indigenous culture and NASA through community collaborations. Eligible institutions include Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTIs), and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (ANNHs), as identified by the U.S. Department of Education. MAIANSE CONNECT seeks proposals which include curriculum development, research activities, and student engagement with an overall goal to broaden participation in STEM. Proposers are encouraged to involve students at multiple grade levels resulting in a vertically- integrated program supporting sustainability and long-term community involvement.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Engagement (OSTEM) Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) solicits proposals from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to establish a MUREP Aerospace Academy (MAA) for high school students. Through opportunities to engage with STEM, the MAA will increase participation and retention of historically underserved (i.e., persons who live in rural areas and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality) and underrepresented (i.e., women, Black or African American, Latino/a, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color, members of religious minorities, LGBTQ+ persons and/or persons with disabilities) high school students in STEM areas and prepare them for success in college STEM degree programs and eventual STEM careers.

The NASA Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) solicits proposals from 2-year/community college and 4-year/college or university MSIs for the MUREP Curriculum Awards (MCA). The purpose of MCA is to strengthen the research capacity of MSIs, and enable students’ capacity for research in areas of priority to NASA Mission Directorates, while engaging diverse students in authentic learning experiences through curriculum improvement and development and culturally relevant and responsive teaching, learning and support.

MUREP DEAP awards will establish Data Science Institutes (DEAP Institutes), led by PBIs and HBCUs, for data-intensive research in science and engineering that can accelerate discovery and innovation in a broad array of NASA Science Mission Directorate research domains. The DEAP Institutes will lead innovation by closely collaborating with NASA mentors for harnessing diverse data sources and developing and applying new methodologies, technologies, and infrastructure for data management and analysis research. The DEAP Institutes will support convergence between science and engineering research communities as well as expertise in Data Science foundations, systems, and applications. In addition, the DEAP Institutes will enable breakthroughs in science and engineering through collaborative, co-designed programs implementing NASA open science principles and architecture to formulate innovative data-intensive approaches to address critical national challenges.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Engagement (OSTEM) Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) solicits proposals from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) to establish a MUREP Precollege Summer Institute (PSI) that will increase participation and retention of historically underserved and underrepresented high school students in STEM areas and prepare them for success in college STEM degree programs and STEM careers.