NASA EPSCoR’s Upcoming Opportunities

Please check out the following upcoming opportunities:

Call for Pre-Proposals for Major Research Grants (deadline Friday, August 5, 2022)

This is the call for pre-proposals for the FY 2023 South Dakota NASA EPSCoR Major Research Grant competition. NASA has not yet released the FY 2023 NOFO (Notice of Funding Opportunity), but it will likely be similar to the FY 2022 version, which is linked.

Major Research Grants are aimed at multi-institution research teams that demonstrate clear potential to build productive research connections with NASA Centers and/or NASA contractors. A letter of support by a collaborator at NASA Headquarters, a NASA Center, or a NASA contractor is required.

NASA intends to release the new RFP on Aug. 18, 2022, with a due date for the full proposal of Nov. 16, 2022. South Dakota can submit one full proposal to NASA. The maximum request per proposal is $750,000 with a three-year period of performance. Cost-sharing is required at a level of 50% with non-federal funds (i.e., $750,000 NASA : $375,000 match).

Each funded NASA EPSCoR proposal is expected to establish research activities that will make significant contributions to the strategic research and technology development priorities of one or more of the NASA Mission Directorates and contribute to the overall research infrastructure, science and technology capabilities, higher education, and economic development of the state of South Dakota.

The SD NASA EPSCoR Steering Committee requests that interested researchers complete the attached Pre-proposal Form and submit it no later than 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time (5 p.m. CDT) on Friday, August 5, 2022. US citizenship is not required.

Pre-proposals will be reviewed by the SD NASA EPSCoR Steering Committee. It is anticipated that the review will be completed by mid-August, and the committee will invite 1-2 research groups to develop full proposals prior to the deadline for submission to NASA, by Nov. 16, 2022. A maximum of one proposal will then be forwarded to NASA.

To submit a pre-proposal to the South Dakota NASA EPSCoR Steering Committee use the following forms:

• SD NASA EPSCoR FY 2023 Major Research Grant pre-proposal form
• SD NASA EPSCoR current and pending support form

Guidance for proposal preparation

1. Proposals must identify research that addresses NASA priorities.
2. Support and/or collaboration with one or more NASA scientists or engineers is essential.
   • A NASA support letter (meaning a science/engineering contact) from a NASA Center is essential. Multiple letters from different centers are encouraged.
   • If possible, the NASA collaboration should be very specific — visits to NASA Centers to use facilities, exchanges of samples, student visits, etc. The more detailed the interaction, the better the indication of real interest on the part of the NASA collaborators.
   • Support letters should be dated no earlier than 90 days prior to proposal submission. Older support letters will not be accepted.
3. Proposals should also attempt to address state priorities and diversity and must involve collaboration of two or more institutions in the state. (See: The South Dakota Science and Innovation Strategic Plan.)
   • Proposals must involve more than one South Dakota university.
   • A tribal college research and/or education outreach component is extremely valuable.
4. Current or past NASA EPSCoR awardees may participate in new proposals, but the proposals should highlight research personnel and research themes that are distinct from the prior effort (see attachment for specific eligibility restrictions):
   • Selection criteria and PI and Co-I eligibility restrictions 2022
5. Projects will have a three-year period of performance with total NASA funding of $750,000.
   • The amount of required non-federal cost-sharing is 50% of the NASA amount ($375,000)

Useful links for NASA EPSCoR and NASA research contacts:

• NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate Principal Technologists
  https://www.nasa.gov/content/stmd-principal-technologists

• NASA Center Higher Education Contacts
  https://www.nasa.gov/stem/contacts/centers.html

• Information on NASA EPSCoR, including titles of recent awards
  https://www.nasa.gov/stem/epscor/research/index.html

• 2020 NASA Technology Taxonomy (formerly Space Technology Roadmaps and Technical Areas)
  https://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/taxonomy/index.html

• Additionally, current NASA research priorities are compiled in the accompanying document,
  EPSCoR 2023 Research Appendix A NASA Mission Directorates and Center Alignment

Direct questions on this opportunity to:

Edward F. Duke, Director
South Dakota Space Grant Consortium and
     South Dakota NASA EPSCoR Program
501 East Saint Joseph Street
Rapid City, SD 57701-3995
Phone: 605-394-2388
Edward.Duke@sdsmt.edu