Release of NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships (NSTRF) – Fall 2014 solicitation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters has released a solicitation, entitled NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships (NSTRF) – Fall 2014, on September 18, 2013. The solicitation is available by opening the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/, selecting “Solicitations,” then selecting “Open Solicitations,” and, finally, selecting the solicitation number “NSTRF14.”

 NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) 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 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. NASA Space Technology Fellows will perform innovative space technology research and will improve America’s technological competitiveness by providing the Nation with a pipeline of innovative space technologies. 

Selected candidates will perform 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 research collaborator. Through this collaboration, students will be able to take advantage of broader and/or deeper space technology research opportunities directly related to their educational and career objectives, acquire a more detailed understanding of the potential end applications of their space technology efforts, directly disseminate their research results within the NASA/nonprofit U.S. R&D lab community, 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 in Phase A, the accredited U.S. university, where the student will be enrolled for the fall 2014 term as a full-time graduate student, must submit a Phase B package (as specified in the NSTRF14 solicitation); complete Phase B package submissions will result in training grant awards.

 The financial and programmatic support for NSTRF comes from STMD. The fellowships are a component of the Space Technology Research Grants Program. Awards are planned to coincide with the start of the 2014 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 by 6:00 PM Eastern Time on November 13, 2013. Detailed submission instructions for applicants are provided under “Other Documents” on the NSPIRES webpage associated with the NSTRF14 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.