Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Rapid Response Research | NNH18ZHA005C

Opportunity Information: Apply for NNH18ZHA005C

The NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Rapid Response Research opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number NNH18ZHA005C) is a 2018 cooperative agreement solicitation run by NASA's Office of Education in partnership with NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and the Commercial Partnerships Office. It is set up as a fast-moving, streamlined mechanism for addressing specific research and technology needs that matter to NASA, with the intent of reducing administrative friction and getting targeted work started quickly. Rather than supporting long, multi-year investigations, this program is structured around short, focused efforts that can deliver progress on clearly defined NASA problems.

At the core of the program is a one-year collaboration model: EPSCoR-affiliated researchers are expected to work directly with NASA to tackle research issues identified by NASA and its collaborators (referenced in the opportunity as being listed in appendices A and B). The emphasis is on solving practical scientific and technical challenges that align with NASA mission priorities, including needs surfaced through NASA programs, directorates, and commercial/partner engagements. NASA signals that these projects should be "rapid response" in both scope and execution, meaning the work should be tightly framed, feasible within a year, and positioned to produce useful outcomes for NASA in a short period.

The solicitation specifically calls for very short proposals, generally in the 2 to 3 page range, and requires submission through NSPIRES (NASA's proposal submission system). NASA also notes an internal commitment to accelerate handling of these proposals, with the EPSCoR project office coordinating with the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) and NSPIRES to speed processing and remove barriers that could slow implementation. In practice, that means the program is designed to function more like a quick-turn applied research channel than a traditional, lengthy grant competition.

Funding is offered through cooperative agreements, which typically implies a more active role for the agency than in a standard grant, often including closer coordination with NASA personnel and alignment with NASA-defined needs. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $100,000 and anticipates making about five awards. The activity category is science and technology and other research and development, and the listed CFDA number is 43.008.

Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with additional clarification indicated in the full text, but the narrative makes clear that the intended submission pathway runs through eligible NASA EPSCoR jurisdictions and their EPSCoR Directors. In other words, the program is meant to serve the EPSCoR network and to channel proposals coming from jurisdictions that qualify under NASA EPSCoR rules, with the jurisdictional EPSCoR leadership playing a gatekeeping and coordination role.

Beyond the immediate goal of delivering solutions to NASA-relevant problems, the solicitation also makes a point of EPSCoR's broader mission: funded projects should help build competitive research capability and technology development capacity within EPSCoR jurisdictions. That can include strengthening research infrastructure, advancing science and engineering capabilities at colleges and universities, and supporting economic development tied to aerospace and related high-tech sectors. The program is therefore positioned as both a mission-support tool for NASA and a capacity-building instrument for states and territories that historically receive a smaller share of federal R&D funding.

Key administrative details in the source listing include an opportunity creation date of June 21, 2018, and an original closing date of June 20, 2019. Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a small, quick-start, one-year cooperative agreement program aimed at matching EPSCoR researchers to well-scoped NASA needs, with simplified proposal requirements and an intentionally accelerated review and processing approach.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Rapid Response Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.008.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 21, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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