NASA Research Announcement: Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System Appendix D Released

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released Appendix D of the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) NNH17ZTT001N, entitled “Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System.” This NRA solicits ground-based research proposals from established researchers and graduate students to generate new scientific insights by utilizing experimental data residing in NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system (http://psi.nasa.gov), an online database of completed physical science reduced-gravity flight experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS), Space Shuttle flights, and Free-flyers, or from related ground-based studies. The proposals submitted in response to this NRA must present a compelling case on how the experimental data from the PSI system will be used to promote the advancement of further research. Proposers must show a clear path from the scientific data obtained from the PSI system to the proposed investigation. In addition, the project must address an important problem in the proposed area of research and advance scientific knowledge or technology.

The main NRA will remain open for five years. There will be specific calls for proposals through a series of appendices, which are planned to be released yearly. This announcement is for the release of Appendix D, which solicits proposals in the five research areas for which experimental data will available in the PSI system by the Appendix D proposal due date: Combustion Science, Complex Fluids, Fluid Physics, Fundamental Physics and Materials Science. The Appendix specifically solicits proposals that utilize data from 50 eligible investigations listed in the Appendix and on the PSI website. The Appendix will be amended, if necessary, with an updated list of eligible investigations before the proposal due date of December 15, 2017.

This solicitation is applicable to researchers in all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, NASA Centers and other U.S. Government agencies. This NRA is soliciting proposals from two types of investigators: 1) established researchers, including postdoctoral scholars; 2) graduate students (with academic advisors) from accredited U.S. postsecondary institutions and programs. The proposals from graduate students must be submitted by their advisor. Eligibility requirements and further instructions for both types of investigators are provided in the NRA. Principal Investigators (PIs) may collaborate with investigators from universities, Federal Government laboratories, the private sector, state and local government laboratories, and other countries.

The full text of the solicitation is available on the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com under menu listing “Open Solicitations.” The direct link to the umbrella solicitation is http://tinyurl.com/NRA-NNH17ZTT001N. The direct link to the Appendix D webpage is http://tinyurl.com/NASA-17PSI-D. Questions with regard to responding to this NRA may be addressed to the contacts referenced in the full solicitation document.

Notices of Intent for Appendix D are due on October 31, 2017, and they must be submitted electronically via NSPIRES (http://nspires.nasaprs.com/). Proposals are due on December 15, 2017, and they must be submitted electronically by an authorized official of the proposing organization using either NSPIRES (http://nspires.nasaprs.com/) or Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). Every organization that intends to submit a proposal in response to this NRA must be registered with NSPIRES, and such registration must identify the authorized organization representative(s) who will submit the electronic proposal. Instructions on how to register in NSPIRES are provided in the NRA. Each electronic proposal system places requirements on the registration of principal investigators and other participants (e.g., co-investigators). Potential proposers and proposing organizations are urged to access the system well in advance of the proposal due date to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested information.

NASA plans to conduct a proposers’ conference via WebEx on October 17, 2017. Prospective proposers are advised to monitor the solicitation webpage for further information on the conference, including instructions on how to submit your questions about the PSI or the NRA.

This is a broad agency announcement as specified in FAR 6.102 (d)(2). Notwithstanding the posting of this opportunity at FedBizOpps.gov, nspires.nasaprs.com, or Grants.gov, NASA reserves the right to determine the appropriate award instrument for each proposal selected pursuant to this announcement