Awards will be made as grants to accredited Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the United States that are eligible to apply for this NASA Research Announcement (NRA). The period of performance for an award is 4 months. Prospective proposers are requested to submit any questions in writing to
[email protected] no later than 10 business days before the proposal due date so that NASA will have sufficient time to respond. Proposers to this NRA are required to have the following, no later than the due date: 1) a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, 2) a valid registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) [formerly known as the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)], 3) a valid Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) Code, 4) a valid registration with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) (this also applies to any entities proposed for sub-awards or subcontracts.) Consult Appendix J Section J.3 for additional eligibility information. The NASA MUREP – INCLUDES Activity invites proposals for planning grants, to assist in the formulation and convening of MSI-led coalitions in support of broadening participation in engineering. This is a novel and strategic partnership initiative, enabling MSIs to assemble and lead coalitions comprised of multiple organizations, institutions and agencies. This NRA and other MUREP funding opportunities will serve as a valuable funnel into the NSF INCLUDES National Network to broaden participation and expand opportunities to underserved and underrepresented populations nationwide. The NASA MUREP INCLUDES Planning Grant is intended to provide resources to eligible Institutions for the organization of new programs OR the expansion of existing resources to address critical challenges with broad impact. This planning grant enables applicants to prepare for response to a full solicitation, tentatively scheduled to be announced in Fall 2020. The specific outcome of the planning grant is the delivery of a concept paper that may lead to an intervention activity, whereby the proposed method will incrementally support the broadening of participation in the engineering workforce. Resulting concept papers will be eligible to compete for follow on NASA MUREP INCLUDES Activity awards. To expand the possibility of supporting a higher number of concepts, all concept papers will be disseminated within NASA for consideration as a basis for new NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) activities, in one of its other programmatic areas such as Next GenSTEM, Space Grant, EPSCoR, or other STEM-focused programs, projects or events. For more information about NASA OSTEM activities, see section 1.6 of the EONS NRA. Every institution intending to submit a proposal to this NRA must be registered in NSPIRES. Electronic submission of proposals is required by the due date and must be submitted by an authorized official of the proposing organization. Such registration must identify the authorized organizational representative(s) who will submit the electronic proposal. All principal investigators and other participants (e.g. co-investigators) must be registered in NSPIRES regardless of submission system. Potential proposers and proposing organizations are urged to access the system(s) well in advance of the proposal due date(s) of interest to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested information. Electronic proposals may be submitted via the NASA proposal data system NSPIRES. Additional programmatic information for this NRA may develop before the proposal due date. If so, such information will be added as a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) or formal amendment to this NRA and posted on http://nspires.nasaprs.com. It is the proposer’s responsibility to check NSPIRES regularly for updates to this NRA.