NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase II | 80HQTR21NOA01 21NIAC A2

Opportunity Information: Apply for 80HQTR21NOA01 21NIAC A2

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase II is a NASA Headquarters funding opportunity released as an appendix under the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) NASA Research Announcement called "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion - 2021 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2021)." The program is aimed at advancing bold, high-risk, high-reward aerospace concepts that are still early in their maturity but have the potential to be genuinely mission-enabling or mission-transforming for NASA in the future. Phase II specifically picks up where NIAC Phase I leaves off, taking the most promising concepts that already completed an initial feasibility study and funding a deeper, more rigorous two-year effort to reduce the biggest uncertainties and better define a credible path toward real use.

In terms of what NASA is trying to buy with Phase II, the emphasis is on continued development of revolutionary advanced concepts that were started under a NIAC Phase I award. Phase I (a nine-month study) is meant to show basic feasibility and a clear potential benefit; Phase II is where the proposer is expected to extend, refine, and substantiate that foundation. That means directly tackling the remaining unknowns, assumptions, and major risks that could stop the concept from ever becoming real. NASA also expects Phase II work to be explicit and practical about how the concept could be infused into NASA or other partners later on, including a clearer understanding of cost, expected performance compared to existing or alternative approaches, the major development steps and a realistic schedule, and identification of the key enabling technologies that still need to be matured. The end goal is to produce results strong enough to give NASA a sound basis to consider further development, potential mission adoption, or transition to other programs.

Eligibility is tightly tied to NIAC Phase I. Only NIAC Phase I Fellows (or their designees) can submit a Phase II proposal for the concept that was studied in Phase I, and only if a Phase I final report is submitted by the stated deadline and the concept has not already received a Phase II award. Proposals also have to include the key findings from the Phase I study, effectively showing what was learned and why the concept is ready for the next step. Importantly, people associated with the predecessor program, the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC before it was restructured), cannot submit Phase II proposals based on those older Phase I studies.

The opportunity is broadly open in terms of the types of organizations and teams that can be involved. Principal Investigators and team members may come from universities, companies (commercial or nonprofit), research labs, government agencies, or NASA Centers, including JPL. International teaming is allowed, but it is subject to NASA rules on foreign participation, so any non-U.S. involvement must comply with the policy described in the parent NRA. The funding mechanisms listed for this opportunity include cooperative agreements, grants, and procurement contracts, reflecting that NASA may choose the most appropriate instrument based on the nature of the work and the relationship needed for oversight and collaboration.

From a funding and scale standpoint, NIAC Phase II awards are capped at up to $500,000 per award, with NASA expecting to make around eight awards under this call. The posted closing date for proposals is February 17, 2021 (with the opportunity originally created in mid-December 2020). Administrative handling and submission are done entirely through NASA's NSPIRES system, and proposals must be submitted electronically by an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). NASA points applicants to the SpaceTech-REDDI-2021 NRA for the core rules and to the NASA Proposers Guidebook (May 2020 edition) for step-by-step instructions and compliance details. NASA also strongly signals that registration and system familiarity matter, encouraging teams to prepare NSPIRES access early and submit well before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical issues.

For applicants trying to find the official documents, NASA directs users to NSPIRES and provides a path through the SpaceTech-REDDI-2021 solicitation to the specific NIAC Phase II program element (identified as 80HQTR21NOA01-21NIACA2), where the NIAC Phase II Solicitation Document is posted under the announcement documents. Questions on technical, programmatic, or procurement matters are handled by email to hq-niac@mail.nasa.gov, and NASA may publish responses in an FAQ on the NSPIRES page while keeping the identity of questioners confidential. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a bridge between imaginative early-stage ideas and the more demanding evidence, planning, and risk reduction needed before NASA or external partners can take a concept seriously for downstream investment and mission use, with Phase III positioned as the subsequent transition pathway for the strongest Phase II outcomes.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase II" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.012.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 13, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 17, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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