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Early Stage Innovations (ESI) Grant Program (NASA Headquarters) - FAQs

1) What is the Early Stage Innovations (ESI) opportunity?

Early Stage Innovations (ESI) is a discretionary research and development grant program offered by NASA Headquarters to advance early, high-potential innovations. It is designed to support projects that are still relatively early in development but show credible promise for further maturation.

2) What is the main purpose of ESI funding?

The program is intended to help move novel ideas from concept and initial proof-of-feasibility toward more validated prototypes, demonstrations, or other milestones. The goal is to position the work for follow-on investment, transition, or potential integration into future NASA-related applications.

3) What broad category does this funding fall under?

The opportunity is in the broad category of science and technology and other research and development (R&D).

4) Which NASA office is sponsoring this opportunity?

NASA Headquarters (NASA-HQ) is listed as the sponsoring agency for this opportunity.

5) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this ESI solicitation?

The Funding Opportunity Number is NNH16ZOA001N (16ESI B2).

6) What type of funding instrument is used?

The instrument type is a grant. This means NASA provides financial assistance to support proposed research and development activities, rather than issuing a procurement contract to purchase specific deliverables.

7) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The listing is associated with CFDA 43.012, which corresponds to NASA research and technology assistance programs.

8) How much funding is available per award?

The maximum award size (award ceiling) listed for this opportunity is $500,000.

9) Is there a stated minimum award size?

No minimum award amount is stated in the provided summary information. The only explicit amount listed is the maximum award size (ceiling) of $500,000.

10) How many awards does NASA expect to make?

The number of expected awards is not specified in the extracted public summary. This commonly indicates the agency did not commit in the synopsis to a fixed number and would make selections based on available funding and proposal merit as described in the full solicitation.

11) Who is eligible to apply?

The eligibility label in the public listing is "Others," and applicants are directed to a separate eligibility section in the solicitation for exact definitions and constraints. The public summary does not spell out definitive eligibility requirements.

12) What does the eligibility label "Others" mean in practice?

Based on the listing, it suggests eligibility may include nontraditional proposers or a broader pool than a single category, but the specific eligible entity types and any restrictions are only confirmed in the official eligibility section of the full solicitation.

13) Where can applicants find the official eligibility requirements and constraints?

The authoritative eligibility requirements (including any restrictions, required registrations, and proposal components) are contained in the official announcement on NSPIRES, NASA's system for publishing solicitations and receiving proposals.

14) Where is the official solicitation posted?

NASA directed applicants to the full solicitation announcement hosted on NSPIRES at the link provided in the notice. NSPIRES is the authoritative source for the opportunity details and submission instructions.

15) When was this funding opportunity posted?

The public listing shows the opportunity was created and posted on May 12, 2016.

16) What was the application deadline?

The closing date (original and current) shown in the public listing is July 1, 2016.

17) Was the deadline extended?

The record indicates the closing date (original and current) was July 1, 2016, which suggests no date extension was reflected in the public listing for this opportunity.

18) What types of projects is ESI intended to support?

ESI is structured to support projects at an early phase that can credibly progress beyond concept and initial feasibility. It focuses on advancing work toward more validated prototypes, demonstrations, or similar milestones that enable maturation and future transition opportunities.

19) Does the public summary list specific research topics or thrust areas?

No. The public summary states that the authoritative description of program goals and the specific research topics or thrust areas are in the full solicitation on NSPIRES.

20) What information should applicants expect to find in the full NSPIRES solicitation?

NASA indicates the NSPIRES solicitation contains the authoritative program goals, specific research topics or thrust areas, required proposal structure, evaluation criteria, period of performance, cost sharing rules (if any), and detailed submission instructions.

21) Are evaluation criteria provided in the public summary?

No. The summary points to NSPIRES for evaluation criteria and other proposal requirements.

22) Is cost sharing required?

The public summary does not specify cost sharing requirements. It notes that cost sharing rules (if any) are described in the full NSPIRES solicitation.

23) Does the public summary state the period of performance?

No. The period of performance is not included in the provided summary and is identified as part of the full solicitation details on NSPIRES.

24) How should proposals be submitted?

The summary indicates that submission instructions are contained in the official announcement on NSPIRES, which is also NASA's system for receiving proposals.

25) What is the main takeaway for someone preparing to apply?

The public synopsis provides high-level information (program purpose, award ceiling, basic dates, and identifiers), but the definitive requirements for eligibility, proposal format, evaluation, and submission are located in the full solicitation on NSPIRES for Funding Opportunity Number NNH16ZOA001N (16ESI B2).