Early Stage Innovations For In Situ Resource Utilization (Esi26-Isru)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration administers the Space Technology Research Grants Program under its Research and Technology Mission Directorate to advance innovative space technologies that support civil space exploration and scientific discovery. This specific funding opportunity, titled Early Stage Innovations for In Situ Resource Utilization, is part of a broader NASA research announcement focused on developing transformative technologies at low levels of technological maturity. The program emphasizes early stage, high risk, high reward research conducted primarily by academic institutions to support long term space missions and infrastructure. The purpose of this grant is to solicit research proposals from United States institutions of higher education to develop innovative solutions for lunar in situ resource utilization, specifically focusing on water purification systems. The program seeks technologies at low Technology Readiness Levels, typically beginning at TRL 2 or 3 and advancing to TRL 3 or 4. The goal is to explore new theoretical and experimental approaches that could significantly improve the efficiency, sustainability, and feasibility of space missions, particularly those involving long duration lunar or planetary operations. Funding under this opportunity is structured as grants with an expected maximum award value of up to 1.5 million dollars over a period of up to three years, with no more than 500000 dollars allocated per year. NASA anticipates making approximately three awards, though the final number depends on proposal quality and available appropriations. Funding is contingent upon congressional appropriations, recipient performance, and alignment with NASA priorities. Cost sharing is not required and is not considered during evaluation. Eligibility is limited to United States institutions of higher education, with principal investigators required to be tenured or tenure track faculty members. Collaboration with other institutions, including industry and nonprofit organizations, is permitted under specific constraints, including budget allocation requirements and restrictions on participation by NASA centers and certain federally funded entities. The program ensures that the majority of funding supports academic institutions, promoting nationwide participation in advanced research. The application process follows a two step submission model. Applicants must first submit a mandatory preliminary proposal, which is evaluated for relevance and technical merit. Only selected applicants are invited to submit full proposals. Submissions must be made through NASA’s NSPIRES system and adhere to strict formatting and anonymization requirements to support dual anonymous peer review. Required materials include technical plans, proposal summaries, and, for full proposals, detailed budgets and data management plans. Evaluation criteria focus on relevance to the specified research topic and the strength of the technical approach. For full proposals, additional factors include management approach, data dissemination plans, and budget justification. NASA employs a dual anonymous peer review process to ensure fairness and objectivity, with technical merit evaluated independently of applicant identity during initial review stages. Key dates for this opportunity include a mandatory preliminary proposal deadline of August 13, 2026, and an invited full proposal deadline of December 16, 2026. Award notifications are anticipated in June 2027. Selected projects are expected to begin immediately upon award and will include reporting requirements such as quarterly progress updates, annual continuation reviews, and final performance reports. The program also requires engagement with NASA through technical seminars and collaboration opportunities throughout the project lifecycle.

Focus strongly on innovation relative to state of the art; clearly justify TRL advancement; ensure strict responsiveness to the specific topic; follow anonymization rules carefully for peer review