NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities – Fall 2021 (NSTGRO21)

Status Report From: NASA HQ
Posted: Friday, September 4, 2020

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) seeks to sponsor U.S. citizen, U.S. national and permanent resident graduate student research that has significant potential to contribute to NASA’s goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our Nation’s science, exploration, and economic future.

NASA Headquarters has released a solicitation, titled NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities – Fall 2021 (NSTGRO21), on September 3, 2020. The solicitation is available by visiting the following URL: https://tinyurl.com/NSTGRO21. Please note that this solicitation replaces the NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships (NSTRF) solicitation.

This call for graduate student space technology research proposals solicits proposals on behalf of individuals pursuing or planning to pursue master’s or doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees in relevant space technology disciplines at accredited U.S. universities (see solicitation for complete eligibility requirements).

Proposals in response to NSTGRO21 must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES and are due on November 2, 2020, by 6 PM ET/3 PM PT. NSTGRO21 requires university submission of proposals;  students must coordinate with both a faculty advisor (who will serve as Principal Investigator – PI – on the grant) and an Authorized Organizational Representative of the submitting university. Please see Section 3.0 – Eligibility Information in the solicitation for special instructions for undergraduate students and those not currently in graduate school (i.e., who do not yet know the university where they will be pursuing their graduate studies in fall of 2021).

Awards resulting from this competitive selection will be made in the form of grants to accredited U.S. universities with the designated faculty advisor as the PI.

The financial and programmatic support for NSTGRO comes from STMD. These awards are a component of the Space Technology Research Grants Program which engages the entire spectrum of academic researchers, including graduate students. Awards resulting from this solicitation are planned to coincide with the start of the 2021 academic year and are subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

Comments and questions may be addressed by e-mail to the Space Technology Research Grants Program, at HQ-NSTGRO-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.