Screening, Analysis Development of Novel, Remote, and In Situ Measurements of the Ionosphere | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This funding opportunity comes from the U.S. Air Force Academy through its Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC), and it is focused on basic research tied to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) mission. The central theme is developing and advancing ways to measure the ionosphere, with a strong emphasis on both remote sensing methods (measurements made at a distance, such as ground-based or airborne sensing of ionospheric conditions) and in situ measurements (direct sampling within the ionospheric environment, typically using instruments carried by platforms that can operate within or near the region of interest). A defining feature of the call is its focus on atmospheric electricity (AE) and how AE interacts with, influences, or couples into the ionosphere, meaning the program is looking for work that does more than simply observe ionospheric properties in isolation. Instead, the goal is to improve the ability to characterize the present state of the ionosphere and understand or quantify how it responds to electrical activity in the atmosphere.

The program is explicitly interested in novel ideas, suggesting that incremental improvements to established measurement approaches may be less competitive than concepts that introduce new observing techniques, new analysis approaches, or new measurement architectures that meaningfully expand what can be observed or inferred. The wording also signals that proposed research should be well-suited for hands-on participation by Air Force Academy cadets, so projects that naturally break into clear experimental, data analysis, modeling, instrument development, or field/observational tasks that students can meaningfully own are likely aligned with SPARC’s intent. In practice, that points toward proposals that combine scientific value with an educational and workforce-development component, such as building prototype sensors, deploying and validating instruments, developing retrieval algorithms, performing multi-instrument comparisons, or creating analysis pipelines that cadets can help implement and test.

In terms of the funding mechanism, the award is planned as a cooperative agreement (rather than a standard grant), which typically implies more substantial involvement by the government partner during execution, such as collaboration, coordination, or shared responsibilities in technical direction, planning, or integration with SPARC activities. The opportunity is categorized under science and technology and other research and development, with a single expected award. The anticipated budget range is relatively constrained, with an award floor of $250,000 and an award ceiling of $320,000, and there is no cost sharing or matching requirement stated. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of entity as long as it complies with any eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full announcement text.

Key administrative details place this call within a specific historical window: it was posted and created on January 31, 2013, with an original and current closing date of March 4, 2013, and an archive date of April 3, 2013. The funding opportunity number is listed as USAFA BAA 2009 1 CALL 0009, and it is associated with CFDA 12.800, the Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program. For applicants who had trouble accessing the full announcement electronically, the listed point of contact is Rebecca Graham, Contract Specialist, at 719-333-3200.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted research call aimed at advancing the state of the art in observing the ionosphere while explicitly connecting those measurements to atmospheric electricity and its coupling effects. It also carries an institutional objective: supporting AFOSR basic research through the Air Force Academy by structuring projects in a way that actively involves cadets in meaningful scientific and technical work, not just as observers but as contributors to instrument concepts, measurements, and analysis related to ionospheric physics.

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