GROUND BASED STUDIES IN SPACE RADIOBIOLOGY | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NASA "Ground Based Studies in Space Radiobiology" (NNJ09ZSA001N)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) issued by NASA Johnson Space Center under a Cooperative Agreement Notice titled "Ground Based Studies in Space Radiobiology" (Funding Opportunity Number NNJ09ZSA001N).

2) What is the main goal of the solicitation?

The goal is to fund ground-based research that improves NASA's understanding of how space-like radiation affects human health, with a practical focus on reducing uncertainty in astronaut health risk predictions.

3) What kinds of health risks is NASA trying to better predict?

The solicitation emphasizes work intended to tighten cancer risk estimates and to generate data needed to build and refine risk projection models for central nervous system (CNS) outcomes and other degenerative tissue effects, as well as to clarify biological mechanisms that drive long-term radiation health risks.

4) Is this an in-space or flight experiment opportunity?

No. This is a ground-based research opportunity, not a flight experiment call.

5) What scientific approach is emphasized for the studies?

The scientific emphasis is on space radiation biology studies that use high-energy heavy ion beams to simulate charged particle radiation encountered beyond Earth's protective magnetic field.

6) Where must the beam studies be conducted?

NASA specifies that these studies should be carried out using the beam capabilities of the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, New York.

7) Why does NASA specify NSRL at Brookhaven for this work?

The opportunity is designed to leverage a specialized terrestrial facility where controlled, repeatable exposures can be performed to produce mechanistic and quantitative data that can feed directly into NASA's human spaceflight risk models.

8) What is the proposal process (one-step or two-step)?

The opportunity uses a two-step proposal process.

9) When were Step 1 and Step 2 proposals due?

Step 1 proposals were due April 23, 2009. Only applicants invited after Step 1 were eligible to submit Step 2 proposals, which were due June 25, 2009.

10) Why are there two different dates mentioned (original and current closing dates)?

The posting indicates an original closing date of April 23, 2009 and a current closing date of June 25, 2009, consistent with the two-step process where the second deadline applies to invited Step 2 submissions.

11) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and essentially unrestricted across organization types, including universities and other educational institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, NASA Centers, other U.S. government agencies, and other organizations.

12) Can an individual investigator submit a proposal on their own?

Submissions were required to be electronic and submitted by an authorized official of the proposing organization, not informally by an individual investigator acting alone.

13) Where is the solicitation posted and accessed?

NASA noted that the NRA would be available through NSPIRES (the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System) via the NASA Research Opportunities homepage, navigating through Solicitations to Open Solicitations.

14) How do applicants submit proposals?

Applicants could submit through NSPIRES or Grants.gov, with electronic submission required.

15) Is NSPIRES registration required even if applying via Grants.gov?

NASA emphasized that any organization intending to apply needed to be registered in NSPIRES and must identify its authorized organizational representative(s) permitted to submit on the organization's behalf.

16) Who needs to be registered in the electronic systems?

The notice highlights that both NSPIRES and Grants.gov have their own registration requirements for principal investigators and other key personnel (such as co-investigators), in addition to organizational registrations and authorized representative identification.

17) Does NASA provide any advice about timing for registrations and learning the systems?

Yes. Applicants were strongly encouraged to begin registration and system familiarization well ahead of the deadline to avoid last-minute access or submission problems.

18) What types of awards may be made under this opportunity?

The funding mechanism listed includes cooperative agreements and grants under the broad category of Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

19) How many awards did NASA anticipate making?

The opportunity anticipated about 10 awards.

20) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The listed award ceiling is $450,000.

21) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity stated no cost sharing or matching requirement.

22) When was the opportunity posted and when was it archived?

It was posted March 13, 2009 (with a creation date of March 18, 2009) and carried an archive date of March 13, 2010.

23) What is the solicitation type from a federal contracting perspective?

The announcement is described as a broad agency announcement consistent with FAR 6.102(d)(2).

24) Can NASA choose a different award instrument than the one listed?

Yes. NASA explicitly reserved the right to choose the appropriate award instrument for any selected proposal, regardless of where the opportunity was posted (including FedBizOpps, NSPIRES, or Grants.gov).

25) Who are the points of contact for official questions about the opportunity?

The solicitation names Vanessa R. Beene as the Contracting Officer (phone 281-244-5257) and provides email contacts including vanessa.r.beene@nasa.gov and nichole.r.bernal@nasa.gov.

26) Who should be contacted for technical help accessing or navigating the electronic announcement materials?

For technical help, the notice lists NAIS Support at nais.support@nasa.gov.