NASA SPACE TECHNOLOGY GRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES - FALL 2020 (NSTGRO20) | 80HQTR19NOA01 20NSTGRO B4

Opportunity Information: Apply for 80HQTR19NOA01 20NSTGRO B4

NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities - Fall 2020 (NSTGRO20) is a competitive NASA Headquarters grant solicitation released on September 5, 2019 by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). It is designed to support graduate-level research with strong potential to advance new space technologies that align with NASA's broader science, exploration, and economic goals. This opportunity specifically replaces the older NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships (NSTRF) solicitation, shifting the program into this NSTGRO format while keeping the core focus on cultivating high-impact technology research led by graduate students.

The program invites proposals that are submitted on behalf of individual graduate students who are pursuing, or planning to pursue, a master's or Ph.D. in space technology related disciplines at accredited U.S. universities. Eligibility is limited to students who are U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or U.S. permanent residents, with full requirements spelled out in the solicitation (notably in the eligibility section). The intent is to build a pipeline of researchers and innovations by funding work that can realistically contribute to NASA's technology needs and strengthen U.S. competitiveness in space technology development.

A defining feature of NSTGRO is the collaborative structure. Selected students, referred to as NASA Space Technology Graduate Researchers, conduct research both at their home university and at NASA Centers, creating a direct connection between academic research and NASA's practical technology goals. Each awardee works with their university faculty advisor, and also gets paired with a NASA researcher who serves as a technical collaborator. That pairing is meant to deepen the technical relevance of the work, broaden access to NASA expertise and facilities, help the student understand real mission and end-use applications, and improve dissemination of results into the NASA community rather than keeping outcomes siloed within academia.

Funding is issued as a grant to the accredited U.S. university, with the student's faculty advisor serving as the Principal Investigator (PI). Programmatic and financial support comes from STMD, and the awards are part of NASA's larger Space Technology Research Grants Program, which supports a wide range of academic research contributors, including graduate researchers. The solicitation covers only new awards; renewals or continuations of existing awards are managed separately. Awards were planned to align with the start of the 2020 academic year, contingent on the availability of appropriated federal funds.

Administratively, proposals must be submitted electronically through NASA's NSPIRES system (the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System). Submission is typically made by the university's Authorized Organizational Representative, though the solicitation notes that limited exceptions may apply. The deadline for submission was November 5, 2019 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time, and applicants were encouraged to register and begin using NSPIRES well before the deadline to avoid last-minute system or registration issues. Detailed submission instructions were provided in the "Other Documents" section on the NSPIRES page for NSTGRO20. Questions were directed to HQ-NSTGRO-Call@mail.nasa.gov, and NASA indicated that answers could be shared back to the community through an FAQ document posted to the solicitation page, with anonymity preserved for those submitting questions.

Key opportunity details from the source listing include the funding opportunity number 80HQTR19NOA01 20NSTGRO B4, the instrument type as a grant, the activity category as science and technology and other research and development, and CFDA number 43.012. The listing shows an award ceiling of $80,000. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary, and eligible applicants are listed as "Others," reflecting that the actual applicant organization is the university submitting on behalf of the graduate student and PI, consistent with NASA's academic grant structure.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NASA SPACE TECHNOLOGY GRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES - FALL 2020 (NSTGRO20)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.012.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-09-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-11-05. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $80,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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