NASA’s Office of the Chief Technologist is offering the NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships to fund graduate students pursuing innovative space technology research.

NASA’s Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) seeks to sponsor U.S. citizen and permanent resident graduate student researchers who show significant potential to contribute to NASA’s goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our Nation’s science, exploration and economic future.

This call for graduate student fellowship applications, entitled NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships (NSTRF) – Fall 2013 (NSTRF13), solicits applications from individuals pursuing or planning to pursue master’s (e.g., M.S.) or doctoral (e.g., Ph.D.) degrees in relevant space technology disciplines at accredited U.S. universities. This call is open to students pursuing advanced degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The goal of NSTRF is to provide the Nation with a pipeline of highly skilled researchers and technologists to improve America’s technological competitiveness. NASA Space Technology Fellows will perform innovative space technology research while building the skills necessary to become future technological leaders.

Selected candidates will perform graduate student research at their respective campuses and at NASA Centers and/or at nonprofit U.S. Research and Development (R&D) laboratories. In addition to his or her faculty advisor, each student will be matched with a technically relevant and community engaged researcher who will serve as the student’s professional mentor. Through this experience, students will advance their STEM education, gain relevant research experience, and enhance their understanding of the research process.

Awards resulting from this competitive selection will be made in the form of training grants to accredited U.S. universities. This solicitation has two phases. Phase A is the application submission by the student. For the student applicant who is selected (Phase A selection), the accredited U.S. university, where the student will be enrolled for the fall 2013 term as a full-time graduate student, must submit a package (as specified in the NSTRF13 solicitation). The university submission constitutes Phase B of the solicitation; complete Phase B package submissions will result in training grant awards.

The financial and programmatic support for NSTRF comes from the Space Technology Program within NASA’s Office of the Chief Technologist. The fellowships are a component of the Space Technology Research Grants Program. Awards are planned to coincide with the start of the 2013 academic year and are subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

This solicitation covers only new fellowship applications; renewal applications are handled separately.

All Phase A applications must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES and are due on or before December 4, 2012. Detailed submission instructions for the student applicant are provided under “Other Documents” on the NSPIRES webpage associated with the NSTRF13 solicitation. Potential student applicants are urged to access the NSPIRES electronic proposal system well in advance of the proposal due date to register with NSPIRES, familiarize themselves with its structure, and to enter the requested information.

Comments and questions may be addressed by e-mail to the Space Technology Research Grants Program Executive, Claudia Meyer, at hq-nstrf-call@mail.nasa.gov. Responses to inquiries will be answered by e-mail and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of individuals/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.