ROSES 2011 Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship | Apply Online

FAQs: ROSES 2011 Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship (NNH11ZDA001N) within NASA ROSES 2011

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the ROSES 2011 Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship, listed under Funding Opportunity Number NNH11ZDA001N. It sits inside NASA's broader Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2011 announcement managed by NASA Headquarters under the Science Mission Directorate. ROSES 2011 functions as an umbrella solicitation made up of many program elements (described in ROSES appendices), rather than a single narrow grant call.

2) Is this a single grant program with one deadline?

No. ROSES 2011 is organized into multiple program elements (appendices), and each element can have different goals, review emphasis, and deadlines listed in ROSES tables. The fellowship was part of that larger set of elements, so dates and requirements depend on the specific element you are proposing to.

3) When was ROSES 2011 released?

ROSES 2011 was released around February 18, 2011 by NASA Headquarters under NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

4) What scientific areas does ROSES 2011 cover?

ROSES 2011 invited proposals spanning NASA's major science areas: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, and Astrophysics.

5) What types of work could be funded under ROSES 2011?

The scope was intentionally broad and included basic and applied research as well as technology development. Examples described include theory, modeling, and analysis of NASA science data; development and use of airborne, balloon, suborbital rocket, and commercial reusable rocket investigations; new experimental techniques aimed at future space missions; early mission concept studies; and advanced technologies that could be infused into future Science Mission Directorate missions.

6) Does ROSES 2011 fund laboratory or sample analysis work?

Yes. It included laboratory and analytical work on extraterrestrial samples returned by spacecraft, as well as terrestrial analog samples used to validate or interpret mission observations. It also covered determination of key atomic or compositional parameters needed to interpret space-based measurements.

7) What Earth science activities were included?

ROSES 2011 included Earth surface observations and field campaigns supporting NASA Earth system science missions. It also emphasized integrated Earth system modeling and the development of applied information systems that translate Earth science research data into societal or decision-support uses, as long as they align with NASA objectives and data.

8) How much funding was available per award?

Funding levels varied widely by program element and project type. The announcement described that awards could be under $100,000 per year for focused efforts such as data analysis, and could exceed $1 million per year for large, resource-intensive efforts such as building or developing science experiment hardware.

9) How much total funding was available across program elements?

Available funding was described at the program-element level as ranging from less than $1 million to several million dollars. Depending on NASA priorities and proposal pressure/quality, that could translate to only a few selections in some areas or several dozen selections in others.

10) What types of funding instruments could NASA use?

NASA noted that awards could be issued using several different instruments, including grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and inter- or intra-agency transfers. The instrument could vary based on the proposing organization and the needs of the specific program element.

11) What was the typical period of performance?

A typical period of performance was about four years. Some programs could allow shorter durations or extend up to a maximum of five years, depending on the element.

12) Who was eligible to propose?

Eligibility was broadly open by organization type. Domestic and foreign organizations could propose, including government, private, for-profit, and nonprofit entities.

13) Are there limits on the number of proposals an organization can submit?

No restriction was stated on how many proposals an organization could submit or how teams could be assembled.

14) Can non-U.S. organizations participate?

Yes, but NASA emphasized a key policy constraint: investigations involving non-U.S. organizations generally had to be conducted on a "no exchange of funds" basis, meaning NASA would not typically transfer funds to the non-U.S. institution.

15) Does NASA generally provide funding to non-U.S. institutions?

In general, NASA provides funding only to U.S. institutions. The opportunity referenced special instructions for cases where non-U.S. organizations are involved but NASA support is requested for U.S. personnel, with details referenced in NASA's NRA Guidebook for Proposers and ROSES Appendix B.

16) What registration system was required?

Proposers needed to be affiliated with an institution registered in NSPIRES. NASA stressed setting up registrations early to avoid last-minute issues.

17) How could proposals be submitted?

Submission was electronic. Proposals could be submitted through NASA's NSPIRES system or through Grants.gov, but NASA stated that all organizations had to be registered in NSPIRES regardless.

18) If submitting through Grants.gov, what registrations were required?

If submitting via Grants.gov, registration in both NSPIRES and Grants.gov was required. NSPIRES registration was required even when Grants.gov was used for submission.

19) Who must submit the proposal?

NASA required that the submission be made by an authorized organizational representative.

20) Do investigators and co-investigators need NSPIRES accounts?

Yes. NASA required all investigators and participants (including co-investigators) to be registered in NSPIRES.

21) Were Notices of Intent (NOIs) required?

NOIs were requested for most ROSES elements. The stated NOI window ran from March 18, 2011 through February 8, 2012, depending on the element.

22) When were proposals due?

Proposal due dates varied by appendix/program element. The due dates began April 29, 2011 and continued through April 30, 2012.

23) Why does the Grants.gov listing show different dates than the ROSES element deadlines?

The Grants.gov record for this specific listing shows a posted/creation date of September 22, 2011, an original/current closing date of November 18, 2011, and an archive date of December 18, 2011. ROSES itself operated with multiple program-specific deadlines across the year, so the Grants.gov tracking dates do not represent a single universal ROSES deadline.

24) Where should applicants look for the specific requirements of their target program element?

Applicants were encouraged to review the ROSES appendices for full details for each program element, including goals, review criteria emphasis, and deadlines as listed in the ROSES tables.

25) Could ROSES 2011 change after release?

Yes. NASA advised applicants to monitor NSPIRES for amendments or newly added elements through February 2012 and to consult the ROSES amendment archive and RSS feed for clarifications and corrections.

26) Who should be contacted for general ROSES questions?

General ROSES questions and overall policy guidance were directed to Dr. Max Bernstein at NASA Headquarters (Science Mission Directorate), using the SARA mailbox (sara@nasa.gov) and the listed phone number (202-358-0879).

27) Who should be contacted for program-element-specific questions?

For element-specific questions, applicants were instructed to contact the program officers identified in the "Summary of Key Information" for the relevant ROSES appendix, because practical requirements and evaluation expectations could differ significantly across program elements.