ROBOTICS OUTREACH COMPETITION - ROC

NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) Robotics Alliance Project (RAP) intends to issue a Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) soliciting proposals to design and administer the Robotics Outreach Competition (ROC) Program. This announcement, leading to the award of a Cooperative Agreement, will be issued pursuant to title 14 CFR Part 1260 for educational and nonprofit institutions. The ROC addresses the critical shortage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields that the Nation is facing by providing hands-on robotics competition events while working with engineers and talented faculty from universities and high schools in the U.S. It is the strategic intent of this program that students will be inspired and motivated to pursue degrees that meet NASA's robotics competency requirements. A draft CAN was released September 23, 2010 and is available electronically through http://nspires.nasaprs.com . Do not submit a proposal in response to the draft notice. It is issued as an acquisition planning tool and as a means of soliciting industry comments for use in developing the final notice. Interested Parties are encouraged to furnish comments by September 29, 2010. The final CAN is expected to be released on or around September 30, 2010 and will be available electronically through http://nspires.nasaprs.com . Eligible organizations may submit proposals that provide evidence of the capability and proven experience necessary to provide both the technical and administrative framework required to implement a national, high caliber outreach program, including a high-quality national level robotics competition experience that leverages hands-on experiences in a technical environment. Electronically submitted Notices of Intent to propose are requested by October 12, 2010. The proposal due date is anticipated to be October 29, 2010. The electronic submission of each proposal in its entirety is required by the due date for proposal submission. Notwithstanding the posting of this opportunity at FedBizOpps.gov, Grants.gov, or at both sites, NASA reserves the right to determine the appropriate award instrument for each proposal selected pursuant to this announcement. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.