ROA D.3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System (UASNAS) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

ROA D.3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System (UASNAS) is a NASA Headquarters funding opportunity released under a broader NASA Research Announcement (NRA) called "Research Opportunities in Aeronautics" (ROA), identified as NNH10ZEA001N. The core purpose is to fund foundational and systems-level aeronautics research that helps integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) safely and effectively into the United States National Airspace System (NAS). This topic sits within NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) portfolio and aligns with the broader national push to modernize air traffic management under the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) framework.

The opportunity is part of a larger umbrella solicitation that spans five major ARMD programs: the Airspace Systems Program, the Aviation Safety Program, the Fundamental Aeronautics Program, the Integrated Systems Research Program, and the Aeronautics Test Program. In practice, that means proposals are expected to map to the most relevant program element described in the NRA appendices, where NASA specifies the exact research topics, points of contact, due dates, and any extra evaluation details for each element. For UASNAS in particular, the emphasis is on research that supports integration challenges at both the technical and operational levels, such as how unmanned aircraft can coexist with crewed aviation and how air traffic management, safety processes, and supporting technologies need to evolve to enable routine UAS operations without degrading safety or efficiency.

NASA characterizes the overall ROA NRA as a mechanism for fundamental research and integrated systems work that can be matured and assessed in relevant environments. The Airspace Systems Program is described as directly addressing NextGen air traffic management research needs as defined by the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO), which provides the strategic context for many UAS integration questions like separation assurance, traffic flow management, and concepts of operation. The Aviation Safety Program context highlights proactive approaches to new safety challenges created by emerging vehicles and mixed operations in current and future airspace. The Fundamental Aeronautics Program angle signals that NASA is also interested in deeper, longer-term research that produces data, methods, and design tools applicable across flight regimes. The Integrated Systems Research Program points to demonstrations and system-level assessments of promising concepts and technologies, while the Aeronautics Test Program underscores NASA's interest in maintaining and advancing test capabilities, including facilities, platforms, instrumentation, and test technologies that can support aeronautics research and validation.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity with NASA indicating the award instrument type as a cooperative agreement, which typically implies meaningful NASA involvement during the execution of the selected work (for example, coordination, technical collaboration, or access to NASA resources), rather than a hands-off grant model. The announcement is also explicitly identified as a broad agency announcement under FAR 35.016 and NFS 1835.016, which frames it as competitively selected research based on scientific and technical merit and relevance, with NASA retaining flexibility on the appropriate award instrument for selected proposals.

Eligibility is broadly open: participation is unrestricted across entity types, with the stated exception that government organizations and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) are treated differently (the language indicates general openness to educational institutions, industry, and nonprofit organizations, while excluding those categories from the "open to all" statement). There is no cost sharing or matching requirement. Proposals must be submitted electronically through NASA's NSPIRES system or through Grants.gov, and submission must be made by an authorized official of the proposing organization. NASA stresses that organizations must register in NSPIRES in advance and designate authorized organizational representatives, and that principal investigators and other team members may also need to meet system registration requirements. The practical message is that administrative setup can take time, so potential applicants are encouraged to get into the system early rather than waiting until the deadline window.

Key dates in the posted record show a posted date of February 10, 2011, with an original and current closing date of July 31, 2011, and an archive date of August 30, 2011. The specific research requirements, evaluation criteria, and program contacts are stated to be located in the NRA appendices and in the "Summary of Key Information" for each program element. For general NRA policy and procedure questions, the notice points to Tony Strazisar at NASA Headquarters (NASA_roa@nasa.gov). For access issues or assistance tied to the UAS integration project area, the contact listed is Robert Sakahara, Acting Deputy Project Manager for the UAS Integration in the NAS Project.

In plain terms, ROA D.3 UASNAS is NASA's call for research proposals that help solve the real-world barriers to integrating unmanned aircraft into everyday national airspace operations, using NASA's aeronautics research structure to fund everything from underlying technical methods and safety analysis through to system-level integration concepts and testing approaches.

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