EARLY CAREER FACULTY (ECF25)

Description*: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters has released the solicitation Early Career Faculty (ECF), as an appendix to the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) umbrella NASA Research Announcement (NRA) titled "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2025 (SpaceTech REDDI 2025).”. The solicitation is available by opening the NSPIRES homepage at https://nspires.nasaprs.com/, selecting “Open” under "Solicitations," and searching "Early Career Faculty (ECF25)” under Keywords, or directly via https://tinyurl.com/NASA-ECF25.

The Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program within STMD seeks proposals from accredited U.S. universities on behalf of their outstanding new faculty members who intend to develop academic careers related to space technology.

The solicitation will exclusively seek proposals that are responsive to one of the following two topics: 

Topic 1 – Advanced Diagnostics for High-Enthalpy Test Facilities Simulating Spacecraft Atmospheric Entry

Topic 2 – Planning for Autonomous Spacecraft Using Machine Learning Methods to Enable Onboard Guidance, Navigation, and Control

Only accredited U.S. universities are eligible to submit proposals on behalf of their outstanding new faculty members who intend to develop academic careers related to space technology. The Principal Investigator (PI) must be an untenured Assistant Professor on the tenure track at the sponsoring U.S. university at the time of award (January 2026). The PI must be a U.S. citizen or have lawful status of permanent residency at the time of award. The PI must be the primary researcher on the effort; Co-Investigators are not permitted. Collaborators (other than NASA civil servants/JPL) are permitted. See the solicitation for complete requirements regarding eligibility and for definitions and restrictions regarding collaborators. 

A PI may submit only one proposal in response to this appendix.

The financial and programmatic support for ECF comes from the Space Technology Research Grants Program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate. Awards are planned to start in January 2026. NASA plans to make approximately 6 awards as a result of this ECF solicitation, subject to the receipt of meritorious proposals and the availability of funds. The actual number of awards will depend on the quality of the proposals received; NASA reserves the right to make no awards under this solicitation.

All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES by an authorized organizational representative. Notices of Intent are strongly encouraged by June 10, 2025. Proposals are due on or before July 10, 2025, 5 pm Eastern. Detailed submission instructions and due dates are provided in the solicitation. Potential proposers and their proposing organizations are urged to familiarize themselves with the submission system, ensure they are registered in NSPIRES, and submit the required proposal materials well in advance of the deadline.

Technical and programmatic comments and questions may be addressed by email to the Space Technology Research Grants Program Executive at [email protected]. Responses to inquiries will be answered by email and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.