ROSES25: A.14 Atmosphere

The NASA Earth Science Research Program Atmosphere element is a federal funding opportunity administered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under its broader Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences framework. This program reflects NASA commitment to advancing scientific understanding of atmospheric processes, including composition, structure, and their impacts on air quality, weather systems, and radiative balance. The Atmosphere research sphere is one of six newly defined Earth science domains and consolidates prior focus areas such as atmospheric composition, radiation science, and weather dynamics. The program emphasizes improving predictive capabilities through enhanced observations, modeling, and data assimilation. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support scientific investigations that deepen understanding of atmospheric phenomena using NASA supported airborne campaign data. Proposals must focus on analyzing and modeling data derived from suborbital platforms and are required to address key atmospheric science questions such as changes in atmospheric composition, interactions between solar radiation and Earth systems, and impacts on air quality. The program prioritizes integrated observational approaches that combine airborne data with satellite and ground based measurements. Projects that rely solely on space based data without airborne campaign integration are considered nonresponsive. Funding under this program is structured to support multiple awards, with an expected annual program budget of approximately eight million dollars distributed across five scientific sub elements. These sub elements include aerosols and clouds, tropospheric composition, stratospheric dynamics, planetary boundary layer physics, and cross cutting atmospheric research. Awards are typically granted for a maximum duration of three years, with approximately thirty to fifty new awards anticipated depending on proposal quality and funding availability. The program does not specify individual award amounts but requires proposers to submit a detailed budget aligned with the scope of work. Eligibility for this opportunity is broad but subject to federal funding restrictions. U.S. organizations including universities, nonprofits, and private sector entities are eligible to receive funding. Federal agencies other than NASA may participate only as unfunded collaborators, and non U.S. organizations may participate on a no exchange of funds basis. NASA internal researchers already funded under internal programs are not eligible to request funding for overlapping work but may contribute as collaborators. This structure ensures compliance with federal funding policies while encouraging interdisciplinary and international collaboration. The application process requires submission through the NASA NSPIRES system and includes several mandatory components. A Notice of Intent is required prior to full proposal submission and must include project summary, team information, and a preliminary budget estimate. Full proposals must be submitted in a dual anonymous format, separating technical content from identifying information to ensure unbiased peer review. Required documents include an anonymized technical proposal, a separate expertise and resources document, a detailed budget, and an open science and data management plan. Proposals must also disclose any use of generative AI tools in their preparation. Proposals are evaluated using a dual anonymous peer review process designed to minimize bias. Review criteria include scientific merit, relevance to program objectives, feasibility, and alignment with NASA principles of reproducibility and transparency. The review process includes preliminary scoring, potential triage of lower scoring proposals, and panel evaluation. Funding decisions are made within sub element categories, each with its own allocated budget. Compliance checks ensure adherence to formatting, content, and submission requirements. The timeline for this opportunity includes a mandatory Notice of Intent deadline of August 20, 2026, followed by a full proposal deadline of October 20, 2026. Projects are expected to begin approximately six months after the proposal deadline. The program is expected to recur annually as part of the NASA ROSES solicitation cycle, although specific research priorities may evolve. Points of contact are provided through NASA Earth Science Division leadership, and applicants are encouraged to consult program officers for guidance.

Ensure strict compliance with dual anonymous requirements and include airborne campaign data; proposals without required NOI will be rejected