ROSES 2015 New (Early Career) Investigator Program in Earth Science | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the name of this NASA grant opportunity?

This opportunity is the ROSES 2015 New (Early Career) Investigator Program in Earth Science, issued by NASA Headquarters under the broader ROSES NRA (Funding Opportunity Number NNH15ZDA001N).

2) Which part of NASA is offering this opportunity?

The opportunity sits within NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) research portfolio.

3) What is the overall purpose of the program?

The program is designed to fund both basic and applied research that strengthens NASA's Earth and space science goals.

4) What kinds of research activities does the program support?

The call supports a wide span of work, including traditional scientific investigations (such as theory development, modeling, and analysis of existing NASA science data) as well as mission-enabling activities (such as developing new measurement techniques, advancing relevant technologies, and shaping concepts for future SMD missions).

5) Is the research limited to a specific mission, platform, or flight program?

No. The solicitation explicitly includes research tied to aircraft campaigns, scientific balloons, sounding rockets, the International Space Station, CubeSats, and other suborbital or reusable launch vehicle investigations.

6) How broad is the scope across Earth science topics?

The scope is intentionally broad across Earth science-relevant research and supporting technologies, with specific topics and requirements organized by program elements described in the ROSES appendices.

7) Are technology and instrument development activities allowed?

Yes. Examples of eligible work include improving or creating methods and instruments that could be flown on future NASA missions and developing advanced technologies that raise readiness for mission use.

8) Does the program support laboratory analysis work?

Yes. It supports laboratory analyses of samples, including extraterrestrial returned samples as well as terrestrial samples used to interpret or validate Earth-observing measurements.

9) Can proposals focus on determining parameters needed to interpret remote sensing or sample data?

Yes. The scope includes determining atomic or compositional parameters needed to interpret remote sensing or sample data.

10) Are Earth surface observations and field campaigns eligible?

Yes. The program supports Earth surface observations and field campaigns that complement NASA Earth system missions.

11) Does the opportunity include Earth system modeling?

Yes. It supports the development of integrated Earth system models.

12) Are applied or decision-support systems within scope?

Yes. The solicitation includes the creation of applied systems that translate Earth science research data into information usable for societal needs, such as decision-support or operationally relevant information systems aligned with SMD objectives and data products.

13) Where do I find the specific topics, requirements, and instructions?

Specific topics and requirements are organized by program elements described in the ROSES appendices, with corresponding due dates and instructions referenced in the ROSES tables.

14) How much funding is available per award?

Funding levels vary widely by the nature and scale of the proposed work. Awards can be under $100,000 per year for focused efforts such as targeted data analysis, and can exceed $1 million per year for large, complex activities such as building science experiment hardware.

15) How much total funding is available within a program element?

The amount available differs by program element, ranging from less than $1 million to several million dollars.

16) How many proposals might NASA fund?

Because available amounts vary by element and depend on goals and proposal quality, NASA may fund anywhere from only a few proposals to several dozen within a given element.

17) What is the typical period of performance?

The typical period of performance is four years. Some elements may specify shorter durations, and others may allow up to five years.

18) What award mechanisms might NASA use?

Awards may be issued using multiple federal assistance and procurement mechanisms, including grants and cooperative agreements, and in some cases contracts or inter- or intra-agency transfers.

19) What determines whether NASA uses a grant, cooperative agreement, contract, or transfer?

The mechanism depends on the type of proposing organization and the programmatic requirements.

20) Who is eligible to apply?

The solicitation is open to a wide range of organizations, including domestic and foreign entities, government and private institutions, and for-profit and non-profit organizations.

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

No restriction on the number of proposals submitted is stated in the provided information.

22) Are teaming arrangements allowed?

Yes. The provided information states there is no stated restriction on teaming arrangements.

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

Yes, but NASA emphasizes a key policy constraint: projects involving non-U.S. organizations must generally be carried out on a "no exchange of funds" basis, meaning NASA does not normally provide funding to non-U.S. institutions.

24) Where can non-U.S. organizations find the detailed participation rules?

Non-U.S. organizations are directed to consult specific sections of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers for detailed rules, including cases where U.S. personnel would be supported by NASA within a proposal that also involves a non-U.S. organization.

25) How must proposals be submitted?

Proposals must be submitted electronically by an authorized organizational representative.

26) Which submission portals are available?

Submission can be made through NSPIRES (NASA's proposal system) or via Grants.gov.

27) What registrations are required for organizations?

All organizations intending to apply must be registered in NSPIRES. Organizations submitting through Grants.gov must be registered in Grants.gov as well, while still maintaining NSPIRES registration.

28) What registrations are required for principal investigators and other participants?

All principal investigators and other named participants (such as co-investigators) must be registered in NSPIRES regardless of the submission route.

29) Any advice on avoiding submission issues?

NASA strongly encourages applicants to complete registrations and familiarize themselves with the submission portals well before deadlines to avoid last-minute technical or administrative issues.

30) What are the key dates listed for this opportunity?

The posted and creation date is May 15, 2015. The original and current closing date is August 31, 2015. The archive date is September 30, 2015.

31) What type of funding is this categorized as?

The solicitation is categorized as discretionary funding aligned to science and technology research and development.

32) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

This opportunity is associated with CFDA 43.001 (Science).

33) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost-sharing or matching requirement is indicated in the provided information.

34) Can the ROSES solicitation change after it is posted?

Yes. The information notes that ROSES can be amended over time, and NASA advised proposers to monitor NSPIRES for updates or subscribe to electronic notifications.

35) Where can applicants find amendments, FAQs, and contacts?

NASA maintained web resources for amendments, FAQs, and program officer contacts, and advised proposers to monitor NSPIRES for updates.

36) Who should be contacted for general policy or procedure questions?

General policy and procedure questions were directed to the SMD research lead, Max Bernstein, via the SARA email address.

37) Who should be contacted for topic-specific questions?

Topic-specific questions were to be routed to the program officers listed within the relevant ROSES appendix entries.