AFRIP is Now open | Proposals Due Friday, May 27, 2022

Click to download a pdf version of the OSGC Affiliate Faculty Research Incubator Program RFP

 

Funding Opportunity Description
 

1. Introduction

The Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium (OSGC) is accepting proposals for the 2022-23 Affiliate Faculty Research Incubator Program (AFRIP). As a participant of the NASA National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (Space Grant) in NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM), OSGC is dedicated to building, sustaining, and deploying a skilled, high-performing, and diverse workforce to meet the current and emerging needs of NASA and the nation. A critical point in the student education pathway is access to faculty engaged with research and education efforts aligning with NASA’s workforce needs and OSTEM initiatives. Traditionally, faculty have engaged students with hands-on research experiences by serving as a Principal Investigator of a NASA research award and providing limited-scope research projects to be conducted by undergraduate or graduate students. Students also seek NASA center internships to gain valuable experience contributing to a NASA project and working directly with a NASA mentor. Attention is now needed to sustain and increase the involvement of OSGC affiliated faculty who recruit and educate STEM undergraduates. Such an effort will help build student academic work resumes and qualify students for internships.

AFRIP offers a limited funding base to entice faculty to work on NASA-related research questions, thereby giving an opportunity for undergraduate STEM majors to experience research and gain specific skillsets needed to apply for internships and other advanced experiential learning opportunities. This funding opportunity enables faculty to become engaged with a NASA research focus at the earliest moment

 
1.2 Goals and Objectives

AFRIP goals include acting as a path to develop internship-ready OSGC students for the NASA education pipeline, as well as prepare young faculty to leverage the experience into a potential full-scale NASA research award. AFRIP is designed to recruit additional faculty to become involved with the Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium and provide basic resources needed to develop authentic student learning experiences in STEM disciplines. Such experiences include the incorporation of active participation by students in hands-on learning or practice with experiences rooted in NASA-related, STEM-focused questions and issues, and the incorporation of real-life problem solving. NASA-related activities should focus on projects supporting the efforts of the NASA Mission Directorates and the agency’s top research priorities.

 

1.3 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)

Principal Investigators should be considerate of OSGC’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) efforts when submitting proposals. Projects should strongly encourage participation of women, underserved and underrepresented groups in STEM, and individuals with disabilities.

 

1.4 Eligibility

Proposals will be accepted from OSGC affiliate member institutions. Beyond the normal approval of the institution’s Authorized Organization Representative, each proposal must include an approval signature of the OSGC Affiliate Representative. Visit the OSGC members page for a list of eligible institutions and affiliate representatives.

 

1.5 Restrictions

The OSGC Cooperative Agreement stipulates no human subject work can be conducted under the award. Hence, Human Subject Research is prohibited from inclusion in this or any OSGC program.

Equipment purchases shall not be made using OSGC funds.

 

1.6 Availability of Funds and Periods of Performance

Oregon Space Grant Consortium’s ability to make awards is contingent upon the availability of awarded funds from the NASA Office of STEM Engagement. The period of performance for awards made under this announcement is June 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. A total of $60,000 has been allocated to the 2022-23 AFRIP. OSGC anticipates making up to 3-4 awards ranging between $10,000 to $15,000 each. Cost-share is not required; however, voluntary cost-share will be welcomed.

 

1.7 Schedule of Awards

Selection notifications will be communicated electronically from OSGC to the institution’s Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), the Principal Investigator (PI) and the institution’s OSGC Affiliate Representative.

 

2. Proposal Format Guidance
  • Cover Pages (Page limit: As needed)
  • Executive Abstract (Page limit: 1)
  • Principal Investigator (PI) Curriculum Vitae (Page limit: 2)
  • Body of Proposal (Page limit: 5)
  • Appendices (Page limit: As needed)
    • Budget Table
    • Narrative and Details
    • Milestones

General Format: Proposals shall use standard size 8 ½” x 11” paper with at least a 12-point font with a minimum 1” margin on all sides of each page. Proposals shall use an easily readable font such as Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Georgia or Garamond. Illustrations, tables and charts shall not be smaller than an 8-point font.

 

2.1 Proposal Content (required information)

Cover Pages (Page limit: As needed)

Principal Investigator (PI)/Institution and contact information, OSGC Affiliate Representative’s information (address, phone, email), proposal title, total amount requested, period of performance, submitting institutional information, and appropriate signatures.

Executive Abstract (Page limit: 1)

Concisely describe the content and scope of the project and identify the objective(s), methodology, and intended results.

Body of Proposal (Page limit: 5)

a. Introduction

b. Goals and objectives

c. Demonstrate how the research project and activities provide:

  • Basic resources needed to develop authentic hands-on student experiences in STEM disciplines
  • Experiences rooted in NASA-related, STEM-focused questions and issues, and incorporation of real-life problem-solving skills
  • Experiences associated with one or more of NASA Mission Directorates

d. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are top priorities for OSGC, NASA, and OSTEM. Please carefully review OSGC’s DEIA efforts listed on the consortium website with links to guiding documents. Describe strategies and goals your project will encompass for supporting and enhancing diversity and inclusion. Provide specific plans for promoting this opportunity to eligible female and underserved and underrepresented students in the STEM fields, such as targeted advertisement and collaboration with on-campus organizations including Native American, African American, Latinx, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander student organizations.

e. Demonstrate alignment with one or more of NASA Mission Directorates:

See Appendix A. Strategic Framework for NASA and Appendix B. Research Priorities for NASA Mission Directorates in the downloadable AFRIP RFP for more information.

 

2.1.1 Required Appendices

Budget: Narrative and Details (Page limit: As needed)

Provide a budget spreadsheet for the proposed work. A budget narrative/description is also required and shall accompany the spreadsheet. The proposed budget shall be adequate, appropriate, reasonable, realistic, and demonstrate the effective use of funds to align with the proposed projects.

  • The budget shall reflect clear alignment with the content and text of the proposal.
  • The budget shall contain sufficient cost detail and supporting information to facilitate a speedy evaluation and award. In order to expedite the evaluation of the proposal, it is highly recommended that the proposal text reference specific and consistent budget categories and vice-versa.
  • Direct labor costs shall be separated by titles (e.g., director, program manager, program coordinator, graduate research assistant, clerk, etc.) with estimated hours, hourly rates, and total amounts of each.
  • Cost-share is not required; however, voluntary cost-share must be demonstrated in the budget.
  • Other costs (with each significant category detailed) shall be explained in reasonable detail and substantiated whenever possible.
  • Domestic travel shall include the purpose, the number of trips and expected location, duration of each trip, airfare, and per diem. Domestic travel shall be appropriate and reasonable to conduct proposed activities and must adhere to host institution’s COVID-19 related travel restrictions. Foreign travel is not permitted under this or any OSGC program.
 
2.2 Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by OSGC staff for compliance with this request for proposals and by a review panel appointed by the OSGC Director. Award decisions are made by the OSGC Director. All sections of the proposal will be individually evaluated. Proposals will not be considered unless all solicitation requirements are met. The review panel will consider the following:

  • Required elements are included in proposal (see Proposal Content section, Section 2.1)
  • Proposal provides the basic resources needed to develop authentic, hands-on student learning experiences in science and engineering disciplines
  • Experiences are rooted in NASA-related STEM-focused questions and issues
  • Demonstrates how problem-solving skills will be utilized in the proposed activities
  • Proposed activities incorporate diversity and inclusion of female, underserved and underrepresented students in STEM fields, and students with disabilities.
  • Alignment with NASA Mission Directorates and the agency’s top research priorities
  • Alignment of budget with proposed activities
 
2.3 Deliverables if Awarded

Student Data

Students who are significantly involved with the AFRIP project (minimum of 160 hours participation) are longitudinally tracked to evaluate the effectiveness of NASA’s higher education programs and are expected to present their research/experience at one of the mandatory OSGC Student Symposiums held in May or November of the award year. OSGC staff will provide guidance to awardees on student data collection.

Progress Reports

The Principal Investigator shall provide an annual performance report to the OSGC Director. This report shall include student data information and expenditure summary. For awards of less than one-year duration, the annual report serves as the final project report. For multi-year awards, the final close-out report will contain a summary of overall program achievements, expenditure report, and shall by reference include all submitted annual reports.

Articles and Publications

OSGC must be cited as a source of funding in all publications resulting from the work using the phrase “…supported in part through NASA and Oregon Space Grant Consortium, cooperative agreement 80NSSC20M0035”. The PI must contact OSGC should peer-reviewed journal articles or papers from conferences be published as a result of the work, so that publications can be made accessible to the public through NASA's PubSpace at https://www.nihms.nih.gov/db/sub.cgi. PubSpace provides free access to NASA-funded and archived scientific publications. Research papers will be available for download within one year of publication.

 

2.4 Proposal Submission Instructions

Proposals are due by 11:59pm Pacific Time, Friday, May 27, 2022. Submit complete proposal packages online: https://spacegrant.net/proposals/osgc/.

 

2.5 Inquiries

Inquiries regarding the submission of proposal materials should be addressed to:
Catherine Lanier
Associate Director, Oregon Space Grant Consortium
[email protected]
541-737-2414

Click to download a pdf version of this solicitation