ROSES 2019: Gravity/Radio Science Team for the Europa Clipper Mission | NNH19ZDA001N ECGRST

Opportunity Information: Apply for NNH19ZDA001N ECGRST

NASA's ROSES 2019: Gravity/Radio Science Team for the Europa Clipper Mission opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number NNH19ZDA001N, element ECGRST) is a targeted call under NASA's broader annual Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) omnibus solicitation run by the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). While ROSES covers many different research areas and usually issues awards as grants or cooperative agreements, this specific Europa Clipper gravity/radio science team element is different in a key way: selections are expected to result in contract awards, not grants. Because of that contracting approach, proposals for this element must be submitted through NASA's NSPIRES system rather than through other common grant submission routes.

The opportunity is aimed at building out the Europa Clipper Gravity/Radio Science team, including a Lead Scientist role and additional team member or Co-Investigator roles. In practical terms, it is looking for qualified researchers and institutions to support mission science activities tied to gravity and radio science, which typically include analysis of spacecraft tracking and radio/telecommunications data to infer properties such as Europa system gravity fields, interior structure, and related geophysical parameters. The posting emphasizes that this is a team selection effort connected to an active NASA planetary mission, meaning proposers should expect mission-focused responsibilities, coordination with NASA and the broader project science structure, and deliverables aligned with mission timelines and data analysis needs (the detailed expectations are referenced as being in the full NSPIRES posting).

Several dates and process requirements are central to this call. First, there is a mandatory Notice of Intent (NOI) requirement, and the NOI had to be submitted via NSPIRES by October 21, 2019. Second, there were two separate proposal deadlines depending on the role being proposed. Proposals to serve as the Lead Scientist were due November 6, 2019. Proposals to serve as a team member were due January 24, 2020. An amendment dated December 10, 2019 updated the schedule for Co-Investigator proposals, aligning them with the January 24, 2020 deadline. The reason given for the extension was to allow NASA time to select and announce the Lead Scientist before the team member/Co-Investigator proposals were due, which helps potential team members tailor their submissions with a clearer understanding of the leadership selection outcome.

As part of the larger ROSES 2019 framework, the solicitation reiterates general eligibility and administrative rules NASA uses across SMD research opportunities. A wide range of organization types can participate (government, private, for-profit, not-for-profit; domestic and foreign) and teaming arrangements are generally allowed. However, NASA also notes its standard policy that research involving non-U.S. organizations is typically conducted on a no-exchange-of-funds basis, meaning foreign organizations generally participate without receiving NASA funding directly. In addition, proposers must be affiliated with an institution registered in NSPIRES, and NASA funding is generally provided only to U.S. institutions unless specific ROSES program element guidance states otherwise. For organizations outside the U.S. or proposals that involve cross-border participation, NASA points proposers to its NRA Guidebook for Proposers for detailed compliance instructions.

Finally, the posting situates this opportunity inside the larger ROSES 2019 solicitation ecosystem. ROSES is released as an omnibus announcement (noted as being released around March 14, 2019), with program elements listed in appendices and due dates summarized in ROSES tables. NASA encourages interested parties to monitor amendments and updates through NSPIRES email subscriptions, the ROSES RSS feed, and the ROSES due-date calendar, since individual program elements can be clarified or revised over time (as happened here with the December 2019 amendment). For general ROSES policy questions, the notice points to the SMD research contact (sara@nasa.gov), while element-specific questions are typically handled by the program officers listed in the detailed program element write-up within NSPIRES.

• The NASA Headquarters in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "ROSES 2019: Gravity/Radio Science Team for the Europa Clipper Mission" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-10-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-01-24. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NNH19ZDA001N ECGRST

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: