The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the U.S. Federal Government established in 1958 with a vision to, “…reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.” To achieve their mission, NASA awards over $600M annually in support of aeronautics and aerospace research.

NASA accepts research proposals through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) and through program managers. CSU researchers desiring to learn more about NASA programs can search NSPIRES for solicitations and submit their applications via NSPIRES. While Grants.gov and Kuali system-to-system can be used to submit some NASA proposals, researchers are encouraged to register with and submit through NSPIRES.

BEST PRACTICE- USE NSPIRES TO SUBMIT NASA PROPOSALS

Using NSPIRES

All key personnel (PI, Co-PIs, collaborators, etc.) must be registered in NSPIRES.  Key personnel involved with a proposal being submitted by CSU must affiliate with CSU in NSPIRES.

For instructions on submitting though NSPIRES, consult the program solicitation paying particular attention to the program element being addressed. For additional assistance, refer to the NRA or Cooperative Agreement Notice Proposers’ Guidebook.

BEST PRACTICE- CONTACT CHRIS CARSTEN ([email protected]) WHEN SOMEONE FROM CSU IS SETTING UP A NEW NSPIRES ACCOUNT

Submission Considerations

Like all the federal agencies, NASA has its own quirks. Below are just a few submitters are likely to encounter:

• All key personnel must confirm relationship with the proposal in NSPIRES.
• The budget template defaults to three years. Project durations of 1-2 years will generate a warning, but proposals can be submitted with warnings.
• The current NASA proposal should not be included under “Current and Pending” information.
• NASA Civil Servants time must be disclosed in Business Data and shown in the budget.
• Some international partnerships may be disallowed- check solicitation guidance.
• Some solicitations require a redacted budget and budget justification in addition to the detailed budget/justification. A redacted budget keeps reviewers blind to salary, fringe benefits, and indirect costs.
• A table of Personnel and Work Effort is required as shown in the example below.

BEST PRACTICE- READ THE PROGRAM SOLICIATION AND PROPOSERS’ GUIDEBOOK PRIOR TO SUBMISSION

A special thanks to Shannon Irey and Samantha Reynolds, Atmospheric Science, for leading NASA 101 and for significantly contributing to this blog.  Stay tuned for NASA 201 this fall.