NASA OFFICE OF THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST – INNOVATIVE ADVANCED CONCEPTS: PHASE I STUDIES 2012

This solicitation represents a second year of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, which issued its first solicitation on March 1, 2011, and awarded 30 Phase I studies. These are currently underway. More information is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/early_stage_innovation/niac/ .

This NRA will solicit multiple studies, each of which will investigate an architecture, mission, or system concept that has the potential to change the possible in space or aeronautics. NIAC is part of the Space Technology Program in the Office of Chief Technologist (OCT). Aerospace architecture, mission, or system concepts proposed for NIAC Phase I studies must be exciting, unexplored, far-term, and technically credible. Proposals for narrow technology or subsystem development, or incremental or near-term advancement, are explicitly out of scope for this program. Finally, while NIAC encourages great leaps and accepts the accompanying risk, proposals must be technically credible, based on sound scientific principles.

The 2012 NIAC Phase I solicitation will be a two step process. Step A will be a 2-page white paper. Proposals shall be submitted electronically, and all Step A proposers shall use the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES), accessible at http://nspires.nasaprs.com , or for Step A may also use Grants.gov. Step B full proposals will be eligible only if invited after review of a Step A submission. Step B proposals shall be submitted electronically through NSPIRES only.

This solicitation will be an open announcement; anyone is welcome to respond. Affiliation with any educational institution, commercial or not-for-profit organization, research laboratory, government agency, or NASA Center (including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) is permitted. Individuals may submit, as long as they meet the registration requirements for NSPIRES. 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 organizational representative(s) who will submit the electronic proposal. 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 electronic proposal system(s) well in advance of the proposal due date(s) to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested information. Specific propo
sal submission deadline dates, evaluation criteria, and submission information will be identified in the NRA. Step A White Papers will be due on or before February 9, 2012; Step B full Proposals will be due on or before April 16, 2012.

Comments and questions may be addressed by e-mail to NIAC Program representatives at hq-niac@mail.nasa.gov. Responses to inquiries will be answered by e-mail and also included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.