EARLY STAGE INNOVATIONS (ESI) | 80HQTR20NOA01 20ESI B2

Early Stage Innovations (ESI) - FAQs

1) What is the Early Stage Innovations (ESI) opportunity?

Early Stage Innovations (ESI) is a NASA Headquarters grant solicitation released under NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). It is issued as an appendix under the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) titled "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2020 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2020)." The ESI effort is run through STMD's Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program.

2) What is the purpose of ESI?

ESI is intended to push early, university-led research with a credible path to being disruptive or transformational for future spaceflight systems. The emphasis is on more than incremental technical progress; proposals are expected to show a plausible path to system-level gains such as improved performance, lower mass, reduced cost, higher reliability, or simpler operations for space hardware or missions.

3) Why does NASA emphasize university-led research for this program?

NASA describes ESI as a strategic investment in university research because universities combine fundamental research and education. NASA also highlights universities as a channel for spreading knowledge through graduate students and partnerships with industry and government, helping strengthen the long-term technical workforce and U.S. competitiveness.

4) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to accredited U.S. universities. Teaming is allowed, but applicants are expected to follow the specific eligibility requirements and teaming restrictions described in the solicitation.

5) Are teaming arrangements allowed?

Yes. The opportunity allows teaming, but proposers are expected to follow the eligibility details and any teaming restrictions that are spelled out in the ESI solicitation appendix.

6) Is there a limit on how many proposals a person can join?

Yes. NASA limits participation such that a principal investigator (PI) or co-investigator (Co-I) may participate in no more than two proposals submitted under this ESI appendix.

7) Does NASA encourage proposals from specific groups?

Yes. The ESI appendix explicitly encourages proposals submitted on behalf of women, individuals from underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities. This indicates broadening participation is an important program goal in addition to technical innovation.

8) What topic areas are eligible under this ESI appendix?

This ESI appendix only accepts proposals that clearly fit within one of six defined topic areas:

• Advanced High-Capacity Cryogenic Refrigeration Components
• Modeling of Lunar Dust Behavior and Mitigation Techniques
• Micromachining of Optical Structures for Remote Sensing Applications
• Modeling and Model Validation of Parachute Dynamics During Inflation and Descent
• Methodologies for Assessing Space Technology Portfolio Investments
• Advancement of Additive Manufacturing Techniques for High Temperature Materials

9) Can a proposal be submitted if it does not match one of the six topics?

No. For this round, proposals must be clearly responsive to one of the six specified topic areas. NASA notes that different topics may appear in future ESI releases, but this appendix is limited to the listed topics.

10) What type of funding instrument is used?

The opportunity uses a grant instrument.

11) What is the maximum award amount?

The listed award ceiling is $650,000.

12) How many awards does NASA expect to make?

NASA expected to make roughly 10 to 12 awards, depending on the strength and merit of proposals received.

13) Can NASA decide not to make any awards?

Yes. NASA reserves the right to make no awards if warranted.

14) When were selected projects expected to start?

The planned project start timeframe for selected awards was mid-January 2021, based on the schedule for review, selection, and award processing.

15) How were applications submitted?

Applications had to be submitted electronically through NSPIRES (NASA's proposal system) or via Grants.gov by an authorized organizational representative.

16) Was a Notice of Intent (NOI) required?

A Notice of Intent was strongly encouraged. The NOI due date was May 20, 2020.

17) What was the full proposal deadline?

Full proposals were due June 17, 2020 at 5:00 pm Eastern.

18) What submission readiness steps did NASA emphasize?

NASA urged institutions to confirm NSPIRES registration and to prepare required materials well before the deadline to avoid last-minute submission issues.

19) Where could applicants send questions?

NASA provided a single email address for questions: hq-esi-call@mail.nasa.gov.

20) Who were the points of contact listed for ESI?

The STRG Program Executive, Claudia Meyer, was listed as the technical and programmatic point of contact, and Kimberly Cone was listed as the acquisition point of contact.

21) How would NASA respond to questions?

NASA indicated responses would be provided by email and might also be added to an FAQ on the NSPIRES solicitation page. The agency indicated anonymity would be preserved for those submitting questions.

22) What are the key identifiers for this opportunity?

Key identifiers include the opportunity title "EARLY STAGE INNOVATIONS (ESI)," the funding opportunity number 80HQTR20NOA01 20ESI B2, and CFDA 43.012.

23) Which NASA organization manages ESI?

The ESI solicitation is released under NASA Headquarters within the STMD umbrella and is run through STMD's Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program.

24) What is the larger solicitation ESI is associated with?

ESI is an appendix under the NASA Research Announcement titled "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2020 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2020)," also referenced as "SpaceTech-REDDI-2020."