NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)

NASA Astrobiology Institute Director's Discretionary Fund - 2007

The NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) plans to allocate approximately $1.5M in funds towards strategic investments that advance the science of astrobiology; demonstrate impact to NASA’s space flight programs or its broader science activities; and/or contribute to NASA’s role as a federal R&D agency through the development of strategic partnerships. Proposals are invited ranging from $10-20K for smaller projects (e.g., a workshop) to $200-300K for large research efforts. Approximately 8-12 awards are anticipated. Proposals involving multiple NAI teams are encouraged. The Lead Investigator for all proposals must be an NAI member, but proposals may include participation by non-members. Proposals should be accompanied by a letter of support from the PIs of all participating NAI teams.

Proposals Due: March 1, 2007

Scope of Opportunity:

The NAI 2007 DDF is open to projects in any and all areas of astrobiology that advance science while impacting NASA’s ability to achieve the agency’s strategic goals. NASA’s strategic goals are articulated in the 2006 NASA Strategic Plan, available electronically in pdf format at http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/142302main_2006_NASA_Strategic_Plan.pdf The nature of the strategic impact to NASA could be on the implementation or planning of space missions, the development of synergies among different science programs, collaborations with other funding agencies, or new partnerships with industry or other private organizations. The proposed activity could be research itself, or research-related (e.g., workshops, data-sharing, technology development, etc.).

Strategic impact to space missions could apply to missions of either the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) or the Exploration Systems Missions Directorate (ESMD). The impact may be on the conceptualization, planning, or design of missions; planetary protection; the design or development of technology or instrumentation; or the analysis and interpretation of data from past, current, or future missions.

Strategic impact to science programs would embody astrobiology’s role as a theme that cuts across NASA programs in earth science, planetary science, heliophysics, and astrophysics. As such, astrobiology provides opportunities for novel, interdisciplinary, synergistic research that may not be possible within individual programs. DDF proposals that tie together both the scientific objectives and the capabilities (i.e., technology, infrastructure, and expertise) of more than one NASA program are therefore encouraged.

Strategic impact can also be realized through new collaborations or partnerships with industry, other federal or state agencies, or private foundations. Possible agency partners include the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Examples of projects with strategic impact, as defined here, include the following:

• Projects that develop connections between astrobiology research and NASA Earth Science studies of environmental change, cycling of the chemical elements, etc.
• Projects, including workshops or related studies, to define future astrobiology spaceflight opportunities or develop techniques or approaches applicable to planned future missions
• Planning for projects that would utilize robotic and/or human presence on the moon to address astrobiology objectives such as understanding the conditions on Earth when life was forming or observing Earth as an extrasolar planet analog
• Projects that address the effects of space or extraterrestrial environments on microbes as applied to problems of forward or backward planetary contamination, particularly involving exploration of bodies such as Mars, Europa, Titan, and Enceladus
• Projects that relate the challenges of defining and detecting biomarkers and other signs of life to the detection or monitoring of biohazards in space or on Earth
• Projects that involve the development of partnerships between NASA and other agencies or organizations interested in astrobiology research

Proposals related to other aspects of the NAI’s mission are also invited, provided that they can demonstrate significant impact to NASA’s broader goals. These include astrobiology objectives related to Education and Public Outreach, information/communication technology, or the training of future astrobiologists and other scientists and engineers with the potential to contribute to NASA’s mission.

Evaluation Criteria:

Proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria.

Scientific and Technical Merit – Objectives of broad significance and lasting impact; innovative and novel approaches to fulfill these objectives; quality of personnel and supporting facilities; likelihood that substantial progress can be made during the funding period.

Strategic Impact to NASA – How the proposed activity relates to and will influence on-going and planned activities of NASA. Proposals will be evaluated on how well they draw specific connections to, and describe how the results of the work will have strategic impact on, NASA’s space flight programs, its broader science activities, or its role as a federal R&D agency.

Effective and Realistic Use of Resources – Strength and interdisciplinarity of the team; optimization of resources (facilities, synergy of DDF and Cooperative Agreement funds; matching funds from other partners or external sources); cost realism and appropriateness.

Other Institute Objectives – Degree that the proposed work develops or extends collaborations between NAI teams or between one or more teams and the larger astrobiology community. Proposals may include components that relate to other aspects of NAI’s mission, including Education and Public Outreach, information/communication technology, and/or the training of future astrobiologists or other scientists and engineers with the potential to contribute to NASA’s mission.

Scientific and Technical Merit, Strategic Impact to NASA, and the combination of the last two criteria will be weighted approximately equally.

Schedule:

Proposals Due: March 1, 2007
Announcement of Awards: Early April 2007

The period of performance for selected proposals may begin approximately June 1, 2007 and cannot extend beyond October 31, 2008.

Instructions:

Proposals should be structured as indicated in the DDF Proposal Outline provided and submitted electronically to the e-mail address nai_ddf@nx.arc.nasa.gov . Proposals for larger budgetary requests can be up to 10 pages in length (not including figures, references and budget), but are expected to be shorter (5-page maximum) for projects of smaller scope. Detailed instructions are in the Proposal Outline.

It is expected that DDF funds will be distributed as augmentations to existing NAI Cooperative Agreements during Year 4. If an NAI team is awarded funds from more than one proposal, that team PI will be asked to prepare, following the announcement of awards, an integrated Statement of Work for all newly funded activities of that team (see Budget Description section of Proposal Outline).