2020 HERO Appendix F: NASA Human Research Program Omnibus Opportunity | 80JSC020N0001 OMNIBUS3

Opportunity Information: Apply for 80JSC020N0001 OMNIBUS3

The 2020 HERO Appendix F: NASA Human Research Program Omnibus Opportunity (NRA 80JSC020N0001-OMNIBUS3) is a NASA Johnson Space Center solicitation under the broader Human Exploration Research Opportunities (HERO) umbrella. Its main purpose is to fund short, applied research projects that help NASA better understand and reduce the health and performance risks astronauts face during human spaceflight. The work is meant to directly support the goals and objectives of NASA's Human Research Program (HRP), and it is framed around HRP's identified "risks and gaps" documented in the Integrated Research Plan on the Human Research Roadmap website (humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov). In other words, NASA is looking for practical, innovative research ideas that can move the needle on known human system challenges relevant to space missions, especially where HRP has documented unanswered questions or missing capabilities.

The solicitation emphasizes projects with a period of performance of no more than one year, signaling that NASA is targeting focused, high-impact efforts rather than multi-year, exploratory programs. Proposals are expected to bring forward innovative approaches to any of the risks and gaps in HRP's planning documents, which can span a wide range of space biomedical and behavioral topics (for example, areas tied to astronaut health, human performance, operational countermeasures, or related translational research). The opportunity is structured as an "omnibus" style call, meaning it is not limited to a single narrow topic area; instead, it invites investigators to propose solutions across the spectrum of HRP needs as long as the work is clearly justified against the roadmap's risks and gaps.

A notable feature of Appendix F is its explicit pathway for bringing in researchers who are new to NASA's human spaceflight research ecosystem. Through the New Investigator opportunity, NASA invites novel research ideas from investigators who have not received funding from NASA HRP, NASA EPSCoR, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), or the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) within the last ten years. Importantly, these new-investigator ideas may be novel and potentially not directly aligned with HRP's currently identified risks, which gives first-time NASA applicants room to propose fresh concepts that could open up new directions. The appendix also continues Early Career Investigator and New Investigator opportunities intended to grow and diversify the community of space life science researchers, helping NASA build a stronger long-term pipeline of expertise.

From an eligibility and teaming standpoint, the competition is broadly open. All categories of U.S. institutions may apply, with eligibility described as unrestricted (subject to any additional clarifications in the full solicitation). Principal Investigators can collaborate with a wide range of partners, including universities, federal laboratories, private-sector organizations, and state and local government labs. Regardless of the collaboration structure, the applicant organization is expected to take responsibility for managing and administering the project consistent with the approach described in the proposal. NASA also notes its general policy for collaborating with non-U.S. organizations: such collaborations are permitted on a cooperative basis with no exchange of funds, which means international partners can contribute, but NASA funding is not typically sent to non-U.S. entities under this arrangement.

The solicitation uses a two-step proposal process. A virtual pre-proposers conference was scheduled for April 14, 2021, to help potential applicants understand the call and expectations, with details to be posted on NSPIRES alongside the solicitation. Step-1 proposals for Appendix F were due April 30, 2021, and only those invited after Step 1 could submit Step-2 proposals, which were due July 29, 2021. This staged approach is designed to reduce proposal burden by screening concepts before requiring full submissions.

Award and administrative details reflect a modest, targeted funding model. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and lists multiple potential funding instruments, including cooperative agreements, grants, and procurement contracts, giving NASA flexibility in how it structures awards depending on the nature of the work and the relationship needed to accomplish it. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number is 43.003. The listed award ceiling is $150,000, and NASA anticipated making about 10 awards, which reinforces the one-year, applied, proof-of-concept nature of the projects. The announcement record shows a creation date of March 31, 2021, and an original closing date aligned with the Step-1 due date of April 30, 2021.

For applicants looking for the official requirements, evaluation criteria, and submission instructions, NASA pointed to the Appendix F package and related documentation available through the HERO20-OMNIBUS3 link (tinyurl.com/HERO20-OMNIBUS3), as well as the broader HERO overview page listing open appendices (tinyurl.com/HERO20OVERVIEW). The solicitation indicates that contact information is provided in the official documents, which is typical for NASA NRAs where program and procurement points of contact are included for questions about technical fit and compliance.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA Johnson Space Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2020 HERO Appendix F: NASA Human Research Program Omnibus Opportunity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.003.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 31, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 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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