ROSES25: A.15 Biosphere

The NASA Biosphere program element is part of the broader NASA Earth System Science Research Program and represents one of six newly defined Earth science research spheres. This initiative reflects NASA’s strategic shift toward organizing research around interconnected Earth system domains such as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. The Biosphere element specifically supports research that advances foundational knowledge about terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, including their biodiversity, structure, function, and biogeochemical processes. NASA emphasizes the use of remote sensing data, including satellite, airborne, and in situ observations, to better understand how ecosystems respond to both natural and human-driven changes. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to enable scientific investigations that improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and their role in the broader Earth system. Research supported under this program must leverage NASA observational assets and data products to explore biological diversity, land use change, ocean biology, terrestrial ecology, and crosscutting biosphere processes. The program encourages interdisciplinary and innovative approaches, particularly those that enhance interpretation of remotely sensed data into meaningful biological and ecological insights. Proposals must demonstrate how the work will significantly advance NASA’s capabilities in observing, understanding, or predicting biosphere-related processes. Funding is distributed across multiple subelements, each targeting a specific research area, including Biological Diversity, Land Cover and Land Use Change, Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry, Terrestrial Ecology, and crosscutting or inter-sphere research. The expected total annual program budget is approximately 10000000 dollars, with individual subelements receiving between 1000000 and 2000000 dollars annually. Awards typically support projects lasting up to three years. While specific award sizes are not explicitly defined, funding supports research activities such as data analysis, modeling, algorithm development, and limited field or laboratory work where justified. Eligibility for this opportunity is broad but structured. U.S. organizations including universities, nonprofits, private companies, and other research institutions may apply for funding. Federal agencies other than NASA may participate only as unfunded collaborators. International organizations are permitted to participate under a no-exchange-of-funds policy, meaning they must secure their own funding sources. Collaboration across institutions, including international partnerships, is encouraged provided that NASA funding is allocated only to eligible U.S.-based entities. The application process follows a mandatory two-step submission procedure. First, applicants must submit a Step 1 proposal, which includes a concise summary of the proposed research. This submission is required and serves as a preliminary screening mechanism. NASA evaluates Step 1 submissions internally to determine whether projects are encouraged to proceed to the full proposal stage. Step 2 proposals are comprehensive and include a detailed technical narrative, anonymized documentation for peer review, a full budget, and supporting materials such as an Open Science and Data Management Plan. Proposals are evaluated using a dual anonymous peer review process to reduce bias and ensure scientific merit is the primary consideration. Key deadlines for this cycle include a Step 1 proposal due date of September 4, 2026, followed by a Step 2 proposal deadline of November 6, 2026. Only applicants who submit a compliant Step 1 proposal are eligible to submit a Step 2 proposal. Awards are expected to begin approximately six months after the final proposal deadline. NASA also provides multiple program contacts for specific subelements, including designated points of contact for biodiversity, land use change, ocean biology, and terrestrial ecology research areas. Evaluation criteria are based on NASA’s established grant review standards, including scientific merit, relevance to program objectives, and feasibility. Proposals may be subject to triage if they do not meet minimum scoring thresholds during preliminary review. NASA reserves the right to fund all, some, or none of the submitted proposals depending on quality and alignment with program goals. This competitive and highly structured funding opportunity reflects NASA’s commitment to advancing Earth system science through rigorous, data-driven research.

Ensure strong alignment with NASA data usage and clearly demonstrate advancement of biosphere science; emphasize interdisciplinary methods and predictive capabilities