ROSES25: D.6 Astrophysics Research and Analysis

The Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program is a federal funding opportunity administered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration within its Astrophysics Division. The program is designed to support a broad range of basic research and technology development activities that contribute to advancing NASA’s astrophysics missions and long-term scientific goals. These goals are aligned with national priorities outlined in the decadal survey for astronomy and astrophysics and emphasize open, peer reviewed science conducted under principles of transparency and reproducibility. The program supports investigations spanning the electromagnetic spectrum as well as gravitational wave and particle astrophysics research. The primary purpose of this program is to fund scientific investigations and technology development that will enable future space missions and enhance current capabilities in astrophysics research. The program is structured into multiple categories, including suborbital investigations, CubeSat investigations, detector development, supporting technology, laboratory astrophysics, and U.S. participating investigators in non NASA missions. Each category targets a specific aspect of the research ecosystem, from early stage laboratory science to flight ready technologies and mission participation. Projects are expected to demonstrate relevance to NASA’s astrophysics objectives and contribute to advancing technology readiness levels or scientific understanding. Funding under this program is provided for projects with varying scopes and durations. Awards are typically made for up to four years, with some categories such as suborbital and CubeSat investigations eligible for up to five years. Funding supports a wide range of allowable costs including research personnel, equipment, payload development, data analysis, and dissemination. Specific cost caps apply depending on the category, such as limits for CubeSat proposals and suborbital investigations. Certain costs, including launch services in some cases, may be covered directly by NASA rather than included in the applicant’s budget. Cost sharing or matching is not required for this program. Eligibility for the program is broad and includes U.S. based academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, government laboratories, and in some cases international collaborators as co investigators. Proposals must align with one of the defined categories and comply with specific exclusions, such as projects focused primarily on ground based observations or archival data analysis. The program encourages participation from early career researchers and supports training opportunities within funded projects. International participants may be included when their contributions are essential, but must provide formal commitments. The application process requires submission through NASA’s NSPIRES system and includes a mandatory Notice of Intent prior to full proposal submission. Proposals must follow dual anonymous peer review requirements, meaning that identifying information is separated from the main proposal document. Applicants must prepare a detailed science and technical narrative, an Open Science and Data Management Plan, and supporting documentation such as budgets and institutional commitments. Some proposal types require additional documents, such as payload reference materials or mission feasibility letters. Applications are evaluated based on intrinsic merit, cost, and relevance to NASA’s mission. Criteria include scientific significance, feasibility, alignment with program goals, and the capability of the proposing team. Additional considerations include advancement of technology readiness and training of early career researchers. Selected projects may be required to undergo periodic reviews and provide annual reports. Data generated through funded projects must be made publicly available in accordance with NASA’s open science policies. The program operates on a recurring annual cycle with clearly defined deadlines for Notices of Intent and full proposals. For the current cycle, Notices of Intent are due in late June and full proposals in early August. Awards are typically announced within the following fiscal year, and funded projects begin after that point depending on administrative timelines. Recipients are expected to participate in annual program reviews and comply with reporting and data sharing requirements throughout the project period.

Ensure strict compliance with dual anonymous review rules; clearly align proposal with NASA astrophysics goals; emphasize technology readiness advancement and scientific merit; include strong data management plans