Funding Opportunities

The NASA Astrobiology Program encompasses four main elements which independently solicit proposals periodically:

NASA’s Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP) Program

ASTEP proposal opportunities are posted on the NSPIRES website, as part of the ROSES solicitation. Check NSPIRES for the latest information on pending, in progress, and past solicitations. Current and past ASTEP selected projects can be viewed here.

NASA’s Astrobiology Science and Technology for Instrument Development (ASTID) Program

ASTID proposal opportunities are posted on the NSPIRES website, as part of the ROSES solicitation. Check NSPIRES for the latest information on pending, in progress, and past solicitations. Current and past ASTID selected projects can be viewed here.

NASA’s Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology (Exo/Evo) Program

Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology proposal opportunities are posted on the NSPIRES website, as part of the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) solicitation. Check NSPIRES for the latest information on pending, in progress, and past solicitations. Current and past Exo/Evo selected projects can be viewed here.

The NASA Astrobiology Program offers numerous additional funding opportunities to which proposals are solicited periodically and independently:

NASA Astrobiology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The NASA Astrobiology Program element of the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) provides opportunities for Ph.D. scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability to perform research on problems largely of their own choosing, yet compatible with the research interests of the NASA Astrobiology Program.(More)

NASA Astrobiology Conference and Workshop Fund

The Astrobiology Program supports workshops and other meetings of its members and the broader scientific community that will advance program objectives. These include, but are not limited to, the integration of astrobiology research, mission planning, the coordination of field expeditions, international or inter-agency collaboration, training in astrobiology, or support of Education and Public Outreach. (More)

The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology

The American Philosophical Society and the NASA Astrobiology Institute have partnered to promote the continued exploration of the world around us through a program of research grants in support of astrobiological field studies undertaken by graduate students, postdocs, and junior scientists and scholars who are affiliated with U.S. institutions. (More)

NASA Astrobiology Institute Director’s Discretionary Fund

The NAI Director’s Discretionary Fund (DDF) makes one-year awards for research that advances the science of astrobiology, demonstrates impact to NASA’s space flight programs or its broader science activities, and/or contributes to NASA’s role as a federal R&D agency. (More)

NASA Astrobiology Program Minority Institution Research Support (MIRS) Program

The NAI MIRS Program is intended to help train a new generation of researchers in astrobiology and to increase diversity within the astrobiology community. (More)

Astrobiology Program Early Career Collaboration Award

The Astrobiology Program Early Career Collaboration Award offers research-related travel support for undergraduate, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior scientists. Applicants are encouraged to use these resources to circulate among two or more NAI Teams, or participating institutions of the NAI, however any travel that is critical for the applicant’s research will be considered. (More)

NASA Astrobiology Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) Program

NASA Astrobiology Program investigators from the Exo/Evo, ASTID, and ASTEP programs are welcomed into the astrobiology E/PO community, and are invited to contact NAI’s E/PO Coordinator for more information on how to obtain supplemental funding, connect to ongoing activities, and access educational materials in astrobiology. For more information, contact Daniella Scalice at daniella.m.scalice@nasa.gov.