Deadline: April 15

Award Amount: Not to exceed $50,000

NASA invites Principal Investigators from Minority Serving Institutions to apply for an exciting program to engage in research and work with NASA to prepare for larger funding opportunities: MUREP Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN). PIs have an opportunity to submit a research proposal that falls within 40 different NASA mission directorate topics. The proposal deadline is 5 p.m. EDT April 15.

NASA MPLAN will offer PIs the opportunity to:

·    Engage in a research project directly with NASA

·    Participate in monthly virtual workshops on fostering collaboration, enhancing technical skills, proposal writing, and preparing for future NASA opportunities.

·    Gain insight into NASA priorities for future proposals.

·    Attend a two-day, in-person workshop to network with NASA and other institutions.

By the end of the program, PIs will be better prepared for future funding opportunities such as:

·    NASA’s annual Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) solicitation

·    NASA University Leadership Initiative

This is an opportunity for institutions that have a MSI designation. Visit the MSI Exchange to see the list of MSIs.

·    Small Business Listening Session, noon to 4 p.m. April 4 at NASA Headquarters, 300 Hidden Figures Way. The listening series is a collaborative platform aimed at promoting dialogue, understanding challenges and barriers, exploring opportunities, and strengthening support mechanisms to empower small businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in their engagement with NASA’s procurement activities.

·    NASA and Partners Small Business and HBCU Summit: Create, Connect & Collaborate, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 5 at Howard University School of Business in Washington, D.C. Join NASA and Partners for an exclusive opportunity to explore federal contracting opportunities with NASA and its partners while fostering collaboration with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Register for the NASA and Partners Small Business and HBCU Summit: Create, Connect & Collaborate, which is a dynamic event designed as the gateway for small businesses and educational institutions to forge valuable connections within the aerospace and technology sectors.

International Space Station Education and Workforce Funding Opportunity

Full Proposal Deadline: July 1

The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory is soliciting research to leverage the orbiting outpost for education programs and training for space-focused careers. This ISS National Lab Research Announcement (NLRA) is open to U.S.-based institutions (academic, commercial, government, or not-for-profit) with a vested interest in workforce development and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The solicitation has up to $600,000 total allocated funding, with the expectation to award four to five projects.

Proposals must seek to create or expand education programs, projects, or public-private partnerships that leverage the space station or space-based research to engage post-secondary students (including colleges, universities, community or junior colleges, and vocational institutions), enhance K-12 learning, or provide professional development experiences for formal and informal educators. Concepts submitted in response to this announcement must specifically state how proposed initiatives will target and reach underrepresented demographics. Proposals for flight projects must include a statement defining how the scientific aims will benefit from being evaluated in space. For more information, visit the research announcement page or the International Space Station website.

Amendment 1 to the NASA ARMD Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA) 2024 NRA has been posted on the NSPIRES soliciting proposals from accredited U.S. institutions for research training grants to begin this academic year. The application deadline is 5 p.m. EDT April 30.

This NOFO is designed to support independently-conceived research projects by highly qualified graduate students, in disciplines needed to help advance NASA’s mission, thus affording these students the opportunity to directly contribute to advancements in STEM-related areas of study. AAVP Fellowship Opportunities are focused on innovation and the generation of measurable research results that contribute to NASA’s current and future science and technology goals.

Fellowship details:

·    Research proposals are sought to address key challenges provided in Elements of Appendix A.8

·    Notices of Intent (NOIs) are not required.

·    A budget breakdown for each proposal is required, detailing the allocation of the award funds by year. The budget document may adhere to any format or template provided by the applicant’s institution.

·    Two pre-proposal teleconferences for potential proposers will be held and meeting links will be posted on NSPIRES.

·    For each fellow, the institution receives up to $64,000 annually, depending on the graduate student’s academic level

For more information, visit the announcement on the NSPIRES website.

All of the reviewer volunteer forms may be accessed on the main landing page or from the links below. Once in a form, click the boxes to indicate the topics in which you consider yourself to be a subject matter expert. If your skills match our needs for that review and there are not too many organizational conflicts of interest, we will contact you to discuss scheduling.

Here is a list of some volunteer reviewer web forms have varying deadlines:

·    Advanced Information Systems Technology

·    Astrophysics Data Analysis Program (ROSES D.2)

·    Citizen Science for Earth Systems Programs

·    Earth Action: Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery, and Resilience (ROSES A.42)

·    Earth Surface and Interior and Space Geodesy Programs

·    Ecological Conservation Impact Assessment

·    Emerging Worlds (ROSES C.2)

·    Exobiology (ROSES C.5)

·    Exoplanets Research Program (ROSES F.3)

·    Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST)—Space Science

·    Heliophysics Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning-Ready Data (ROSES B.16)

·    Heliophysics Supporting Research (ROSES B.2)

·    Lunar Data Analysis (ROSES C.8)

·    MatISSE and C.22 DALI (high-TRL planetary instrument programs)

·    Planetary Data Archiving, Restoration, and Tools (ROSES C.4)

·    Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO)

·    SMD Bridge Programs Seed Funding Opportunity (ROSES F.23)

·    Solar System Observations (ROSES C.6)

·    Solar System Workings (ROSES C.3)

·    The Physical Oceanography Program (PO)

·    Yearly Opportunities for Research in Planetary Defense

For more information about the related programs, reach out to the respective Program Officer. For issues with the web forms, send an email to sara@nasa.gov.

NASA’s HBCU/MSI Technology Infusion Road Tour will visit Clark Atlanta University (CAU) in Atlanta on April 16-18. This hybrid event will feature presentations from NASA Mission Directorates, the Office of Procurement, prime contractors, MSIs and other key collaborators to highlight NASA’s effort to build competitiveness at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions.

Various technical workshops will provide best practices and understanding to inform next steps. Participants will also network to make connections that will extend beyond the event. Additionally, the student-focused opportunity, NASA Days, will be hosted simultaneously on the CAU campus.

Deadline: May 7

Webinar: Leveraging the ISS National Lab

Proposals are being accepted for the International Space Station National Lab Research Announcement (NLRA) for flight investigations within applied research and development, translational medicine, technology readiness level maturation, and technology demonstration to be performed on the space station. Selected flight projects may be awarded funding to enable mission integration and operations support for projects that will be implemented on the International Space Station.

CASIS, in coordination with NASA, has identified multiple ISS National Lab lines of business that support strategic priorities and programmatic focus areas aimed at bringing value to our nation and enabling a robust and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Technology development and demonstration enabled by access to space brings significant growth potential from the ability to accelerate technology maturation. Through this research announcement, offerors may propose to use the unique ISS environment to develop, test, or mature products and processes that have a demonstrated potential to produce near-term and positive direct or indirect economic impact.

Learn more about this announcement by visiting the ISS National Laboratory or watching this pre-recorded webinar. For more information, send an email to info@ISSNationalLab.org with NLRA2024-4 in the subject line.

Proposals Accepted for Moon to Mars eXploration Systems and Habitation 2025 Academic Innovation Challenge

Proposal Deadline: April 26

Technical Question Submission Deadline: April 3

Proposals are being accepted for the Moon to Mars eXploration Systems and Habitation (M2M X-Hab) 2025 Academic Innovation Challenge, which is a university-level challenge designed to develop strategic partnerships and collaborations with universities. The proposal deadline is April 26.

NASA’s Exploration Capabilities (EC) Program will offer multiple awards of $13K to $50K each to design and produce studies or functional products of interest to NASA. (See Section 3.2, M2M X-Hab Proposal Topic List.)

This challenge has been organized to help bridge strategic knowledge gaps and increase knowledge in capabilities and technology risk reduction related to NASA’s vision and missions. The competition links with senior- and graduate-level design curricula that emphasize hands-on design, research, development, and manufacturing of functional prototypical subsystems that enable functionality for space habitats and deep space exploration missions. For more information, visit the Exploration Systems Habitation website.

·    3 p.m. EDT March 25

·    3 p.m. EDT April 29

·    3 p.m. EDT May 20

A capability statement is a one-page document that serves as a resume for your MSI and can open doors that inspire relationships with strategic partners. Having a capability statement in the MSI Exchange offers a competitive advantage, as federal agencies, industry, and academia use the MSI Exchange to identify MSIs for teaming opportunities and competitive federal awards such as grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts. It is important to not only have a capability statement in the MSI Exchange, but to also ensure that the information is periodically updated with the current point of contact.

If your capability statement is ready for upload, submit it to the MSI Exchange at NASA-MSIExchange@mail.nasa.gov.

Paid 10-Week Summer Research Experience at NASA Wallops Flight Facility

Deadline: March 18

Stipend: $6,000

Dates: June 3-Aug. 9

Project Descriptions: STEM Takes Flight

The Virginia Space Grant Consortium is partnering with NASA Langley Research Center to offer community college students in Virginia hands-on research experience at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. During summer, students will spend 10 weeks working alongside NASA research advisors to learn more about project work, communication, teamwork, and exposure to various STEM careers. For more information, visit NASA Research Experiences – STEM Takes Flight.

Apply for a Fall Internship at a NASA Center

Students who are interested in a fall internship are encouraged to submit an application by April 5. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) paid internships allow students age 16 and up to contribute to agency projects under the guidance of a NASA mentor. Requirements include U.S. Citizenship and a minimum 3.0 GPA. One application has the possibility of being viewed by a mentor at any NASA Center. Prior experience is not required. For more information, visit the NASA Internships Programs. To apply, visit NASA Internships (NASA STEM Gateway).

Become a NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador

In April, a solar eclipse will cross the US. In an exciting NASA partnership, undergraduate students and eclipse enthusiasts will be partnered to prepare their local communities for the awe and wonder of this unique celestial alignment. Training, partnerships, resources, and connections with local underserved partners are provided. Outreach can be done before the eclipse – there’s no commitment when the shadows arrive. Undergraduates will also receive a stipend, plus opportunities to further their involvement in NASA programs. Apply today or find someone near you on our Eclipse Ambassador Map!