Early Career Faculty | 80HQTR23NOA01 23ECF B1

Opportunity Information: Apply for 80HQTR23NOA01 23ECF B1

NASA Headquarters, through its Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), released the Early Career Faculty (ECF) solicitation as an appendix to the broader NASA Research Announcement called "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2023 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2023)." The opportunity is managed under the Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) program and is designed to help outstanding new faculty members at U.S. universities launch research careers that are tightly connected to NASA-relevant space technology needs. The underlying purpose is twofold: to advance fundamental research that can feed future space systems and to strengthen the national talent pipeline by embedding space technology challenges into university research and graduate training. NASA positions universities as a key engine for discovery and innovation because they can both generate new knowledge and spread it outward through students and partnerships with industry and government.

The ECF call anticipates three technical topic areas for proposals. Topic 1 focuses on novel fluids for spacecraft thermal control, aiming at improved ways to manage heat in spacecraft environments where mass, reliability, and performance constraints are extreme. Topic 2 targets hypersonic transition and turbulence as they relate to NASA entry, descent, and landing (EDL) applications, reflecting NASA's need for better predictive understanding and modeling of high-speed aerothermodynamics that drive vehicle design and mission risk. Topic 3 addresses non-traditional orbit debris remediation, seeking innovative concepts and approaches to mitigate or remove orbital debris beyond conventional methods, which is increasingly important for space safety and long-term sustainability of orbital operations.

Eligibility is narrowly tailored to early-career, tenure-track faculty, with proposals submitted by accredited U.S. universities on behalf of the faculty member. The principal investigator must be an untenured Assistant Professor on the tenure track at the sponsoring university at the time of award (planned for October 2023), and must be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident at the time the proposal is submitted. A key structural feature of this program is that the PI is expected to be the primary researcher driving the work: co-investigators are not permitted. However, collaborators are allowed (with restrictions, including special rules for NASA civil servants and JPL), enabling targeted external contributions without shifting the project leadership away from the early-career PI. Each PI is limited to one proposal under this appendix.

From a funding and award standpoint, NASA indicates it plans to make about six awards, contingent on the availability of funds and the receipt of highly meritorious proposals, and it explicitly reserves the right to make no awards if proposals do not meet the bar. The listed award ceiling is $600,000, and the funding instrument is a grant. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary research and development funding within science and technology, with CFDA number 43.012. While NASA encourages applications broadly from early-career faculty across U.S. universities, it specifically emphasizes encouraging proposals that support participation by women, underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities, consistent with building a more inclusive national STEM workforce.

Key dates and submission logistics are straightforward but time-sensitive. Notices of Intent (NOIs) are strongly encouraged by March 16, 2023, at 5:00 pm Eastern, and full proposals are due by April 13, 2023, at 5:00 pm Eastern. Submissions must be made electronically through NSPIRES or Grants.gov by an authorized organizational representative, meaning the university typically submits on the PI's behalf through its sponsored research office. NASA advises applicants to register early in NSPIRES and to upload materials well ahead of the deadline to avoid last-minute system or compliance issues. Programmatic and technical questions are directed to the STRG Program Executive, Matthew Deans, via hq-ecf-call@mail.nasa.gov, with answers provided by email and potentially incorporated into an FAQ on the NSPIRES solicitation page while preserving the anonymity of those who submit questions.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA Headquarters in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Early Career Faculty" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.012.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 17, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 13, 2023. (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 $600,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for 80HQTR23NOA01 23ECF B1

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