Opportunity Information: Apply for NNH09ZEA001N VVFCS1
Apply for NNH09ZEA001N VVFCS1
- The NASA Headquarters in the recovery act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "ROA 2009 B.6 Verification and Validation of Flight Critical Systems (VVFCS1) (Recovery Act)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.004 Aeronautics, Recovery Act.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 16, 2009 and posted on Nov 16, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 16, 2009. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
ROA 2009 B.6 Verification and Validation of Flight Critical Systems (VVFCS1) (Recovery Act) was a NASA Headquarters funding opportunity aimed at strengthening how the aviation community proves that flight critical systems are safe. In this context, "flight critical" is defined broadly as any system that directly controls the safe conduct of an aircraft's flight. That definition intentionally spans both airborne and ground-based components, includes not only hardware and software but also concepts of operation, and treats human performance as an integral part of overall system safety. The central motivation behind the program is that as aviation moves toward increasingly complex, networked, and distributed operations envisioned under the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), traditional certification and safety assurance approaches become harder to scale. NASA framed the challenge in practical terms as well: the effort and expense required to demonstrate safety for these systems can easily exceed the costs of designing and building them, so better verification and validation methods are needed to keep progress feasible without compromising safety.
The program's core objective was to develop multidisciplinary verification and validation tools and techniques that improve safety assurance and certification for complex, distributed flight critical systems operating in real time. "Multidisciplinary" here implies that successful approaches should bridge multiple domains at once, such as software and systems engineering, formal methods, runtime monitoring, human factors, and operational concepts. The opportunity emphasized the need for new paradigms and distributed system infrastructures that can deliver high confidence evidence of safety in environments where multiple interacting components, networks, and human operators collectively determine outcomes. In other words, NASA was not looking only for incremental testing improvements, but for advances that change how assurance cases are built and how confidence is established for systems whose behavior emerges from interactions across many nodes and stakeholders.
From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity was issued under Funding Opportunity Number NNH09ZEA001N and was categorized as an "Other" opportunity associated with Recovery Act funding, under CFDA 43.004 (Aeronautics, Recovery Act). NASA anticipated making around 10 awards, and the solicitation allowed for Cooperative Agreements and Procurement Contracts as the funding instruments. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, lowering barriers for proposers who might not have been able to contribute significant non-federal funds. Eligibility was described as "unrestricted," meaning it was broadly open to a wide range of applicant types, subject to any additional clarifications in the full announcement text.
Key dates indicate this was a time-bounded call: it was posted and created on November 16, 2009, with an original and final closing date of December 16, 2009, and it was archived on January 15, 2010. For support and program-specific questions, NASA listed points of contact tied directly to the VVFCS project and management, including Sharon Graves (project point of contact), Guillaume Brat (technical point of contact), and Sherri Yokum (NRA manager), with an additional note that applicants having trouble accessing the full announcement electronically could reach out for assistance. Overall, the opportunity was positioned as a targeted investment to help the aviation ecosystem validate and certify next-generation flight critical capabilities more effectively as systems become more interconnected, software-intensive, and operationally complex.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "ROA 2009 B.6 Verification and Validation of Flight Critical Systems (VVFCS1) (Recovery Act)."
Which agency offered this opportunity?
This was a NASA Headquarters funding opportunity.
What problem was NASA trying to address with this program?
NASA aimed to strengthen how the aviation community demonstrates that flight critical systems are safe. The program highlighted that, as aviation systems become more complex and distributed (as envisioned under NextGen), traditional certification and safety assurance approaches become harder to scale. NASA also noted a practical concern: the effort and expense required to demonstrate safety can exceed the costs of designing and building these systems, creating a need for better verification and validation (V&V) methods.
What does "flight critical" mean in this solicitation?
"Flight critical" was defined broadly as any system that directly controls the safe conduct of an aircraft's flight. The definition intentionally includes both airborne and ground-based components, covers hardware and software, includes concepts of operation, and treats human performance as an integral part of overall system safety.
What was the core objective of the program?
The core objective was to develop multidisciplinary verification and validation tools and techniques that improve safety assurance and certification for complex, distributed flight critical systems operating in real time.
What does NASA mean by "multidisciplinary" verification and validation?
In this context, "multidisciplinary" means approaches that bridge multiple domains at once. Examples mentioned include software and systems engineering, formal methods, runtime monitoring, human factors, and operational concepts.
Was NASA looking for incremental testing improvements or bigger changes?
The opportunity emphasized advances that change how assurance cases are built and how confidence is established for systems whose behavior emerges from interactions across many nodes and stakeholders, rather than only incremental improvements to testing.
What types of systems and environments was this program concerned with?
The program focused on complex, networked, and distributed flight critical systems operating in real time, including environments where multiple interacting components, networks, and human operators collectively determine outcomes.
How does this relate to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)?
NASA framed the need for improved V&V methods around the increasing complexity, networking, and distribution expected under NextGen, which makes traditional certification and safety assurance approaches more difficult to scale.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is NNH09ZEA001N.
How was this opportunity categorized?
It was categorized as an "Other" opportunity and was associated with Recovery Act funding.
What is the CFDA number and program name associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was under CFDA 43.004, "Aeronautics, Recovery Act."
How many awards did NASA anticipate making?
NASA anticipated making around 10 awards.
What funding instruments were permitted under this solicitation?
The solicitation allowed for Cooperative Agreements and Procurement Contracts.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was described as "unrestricted," meaning it was broadly open to a wide range of applicant types, subject to any additional clarifications contained in the full announcement.
When was the opportunity posted?
It was posted (and created) on November 16, 2009.
What were the closing dates?
The original closing date and the final closing date were both December 16, 2009.
When was the opportunity archived?
It was archived on January 15, 2010.
Who were the listed points of contact?
NASA listed points of contact connected to the VVFCS project and management: Sharon Graves (project point of contact), Guillaume Brat (technical point of contact), and Sherri Yokum (NRA manager).
What should an applicant do if they cannot access the full announcement electronically?
NASA noted that applicants who were having trouble accessing the full announcement electronically could reach out for assistance.
What kind of outcomes was NASA trying to enable through this investment?
The opportunity was positioned as a targeted investment to help the aviation ecosystem validate and certify next-generation flight critical capabilities more effectively as systems become more interconnected, software-intensive, and operationally complex, without compromising safety.
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