The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters has released a solicitation, titled NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities - Fall 2020 (NSTGRO20), on September 5, 2019. The solicitation is available by opening the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/, selecting "Solicitations," then selecting "Open Solicitations," and, finally, selecting “NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities – Fall 2020 (NSTGRO20).” Please note that this solicitation replaces the NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships (NSTRF) solicitation. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) seeks to sponsor U.S. citizen, U.S. national, and permanent resident graduate student research that has significant potential to contribute to NASA’s goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our Nation’s science, exploration, and economic future. This call for graduate student research proposals solicits proposals on behalf of individuals pursuing or planning to pursue master’s or doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees in relevant space technology disciplines at accredited U.S. universities (see solicitation for complete eligibility requirements). Recipients, referred to as NASA Space Technology Graduate Researchers, will perform innovative space technology research and will improve America’s technological competitiveness by providing the Nation with a pipeline of innovative space technologies. NASA Space Technology Graduate Researchers will perform research at their respective campuses and at NASA Centers. In addition to their faculty advisor, each recipient will be matched with a technically relevant and community-engaged NASA researcher who will serve as the research collaborator on the award. Through this collaboration, graduate students will be able to take advantage of broader and/or deeper space technology research opportunities directly related to their academic and career objectives, acquire a more detailed understanding of the potential end applications of their space technology efforts, and directly disseminate their research results within the NASA community. Awards resulting from this competitive selection will be made in the form of grants to accredited U.S. universities with the designated faculty advisor as the Principal Investigator (PI). The financial and programmatic support for NSTGRO comes from STMD. These awards are a component of the Space Technology Research Grants Program which engages the entire spectrum of academic researchers, including graduate students. Awards resulting from this solicitation are planned to coincide with the start of the 2020 academic year and are subject to the availability of appropriated funds. This solicitation covers only proposals for new awards; continuation of existing awards is handled separately. All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES by a university Authorized Organizational Representative (exceptions may apply; see full solicitation for details) and are due by 6 PM ET on November 5, 2019. Detailed submission instructions are provided under "Other Documents" on the NSPIRES webpage associated with the NSTGRO20 solicitation. Potential proposers are urged to access the NSPIRES electronic proposal system well in advance of the proposal due date to register with NSPIRES, familiarize themselves with its structure, and to enter the requested information. Comments and questions may be addressed by email to the Space Technology Research Grants Program, at
[email protected]. Responses to inquiries will be answered by email and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of individuals/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.