Ames FY24 Center Innovation Fund (CIF)
Request for Proposals (RFP)
The NASA Ames Research Center Office of the Center Chief Technologist (CCT) is pleased to announce the FY24 Center Innovation Fund (CIF) Request for Proposals (RFP). The purpose of the CIF is to stimulate and encourage creativity, innovation and collaboration within Ames, and between Ames and other NASA Centers in addressing the technology needs of NASA and the Nation. It is intended for exploratory investigations that offer breakthrough technologies. The ideas supported must align with Center priorities and leverage Center capabilities, but they do not necessarily need to correspond to the Centers Core Competencies. CIF proposals must be technologically oriented and may be viewed as ‘seedlings’ that will enable the next generation technology and exploration. The target technology readiness level (TRL) is 1-3. It is incumbent upon the proposer to demonstrate clearly the true innovation of the proposed project compared with existing state-of-the-art, and to demonstrate how the proposal supports Agency objectives and Center priorities.
Eligibility and Guidelines
Only Ames civil servants can serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) and submit proposals. However, partnerships are encouraged with on-site contractors and other external organizations that take advantage of mutual interests and capabilities as well as leveraged funding.
Award Amount
The FY24 CIF award guideline is up to $125,000 for one year. This includes both civil servant labor (FTE equivalent) and procurement (including contract labor). However, requests outside these guidelines may be considered. No funds are available for travel. Decisions regarding awards will be based on availability of funds.
Award Duration
All CIF awards are for a single year only, and the planned work is to be completed during FY24. All funding must be obligated by September 30, 2024. Proposals for continuation awards (i.e., for projects that received a CIF award from a prior year) may be submitted. However, these are reviewed as new proposals and must have demonstrated progress in the previous award and still meet the exploratory and breakthrough criteria.
Inter-Agency Collaboration Focus Area Alignment
STMD is exploring the possibility of a new collaboration between the CIF program and other government agencies to best meet the nation’s technology priority needs, to build stronger ties for interagency collaboration, to leverage our collective resources, and to provide opportunities for infusion beyond NASA. The CIF Program Office is exploring whether a reasonable overlap exists between NASA CIF projects and the following seven inter-agency collaboration focus areas:
- Cyber Space Mission Assurance Experiment
- Space Trusted Autonomy
- Resilient Cis-lunar Architectures
- Quantum Sensing
- Transformation AI to extract Information from Data
- In-space Additive Manufacturing
- Climate and Clean Energy Research
Alignment with one or more of these seven areas is not a requirement for selection but may allow Ames to leverage additional funding. For this reason, proposals that align may be given priority. A brief description of STMD guidance related to climate and clean energy research topics can be found at:
STMD Strategic Framework
The STMD Strategic Framework (https://techport.nasa.gov/framework) identifies several high priority capability gaps to help guide technology selections. Proposed CIF projects are not strictly required to adhere to these gap recommendations, but they provide important guidance on technologies of interest to STMD and areas for potential growth/follow-on activities for projects proposed under CIF.
Management Approval
Proposers must inform their management about their CIF proposals for concurrence on the strategic value, availability of labor resources, and proposal-development support. This step is important to ensure availability of resources needed to deliver in the time allotted, if selected. Approval of a Branch Chief or higher is required for proposal submission.
Technical Equipment Requirements and Dependencies
To increase coordination and simplify decision-making about investments in technical equipment, proposals that request to procure technical equipment in excess of $2K must show why that investment is unique and necessary to the proposed effort; proposals should also identify any other known existing projects, tasks or efforts at the Center that depend on this proposed acquisition of technical equipment. If the proposal depends on the use of existing (already purchased) specialized or general-purpose technical equipment that may be in high demand, please specify this dependency, timeframe and duration the equipment is needed.
Proposal Preparation and Submission
All FY24 CIF proposers must submit the following TWO documents in PDF format to be considered for award:
- Proposal (5 pages max, in a single PDF document):
- Cover Page (1-page)
- Proposal Body (3 – 3.5 pages max)
- Budget (0.5 – 1 page)
- References (optional, not included in page count)
- Letter(s) of Commitment (LOC) (optional, not included in page count)
- Summary chart (1-page; in a single PDF document)
All proposal material must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. (PST) on July 7, 2023 with the subject line “CIF24_PI Last Name_Short Proposal Title.pdf” or “CIF24_PI Last Name_Short Proposal Title_Chart.pdf” via email to:
A confirmation of receipt will be sent via email upon successful submission of your proposal materials within three business days. The written proposal and summary chart must be submitted in separate PDF-format files. All optional references and LOCs must be included in the Proposal PDF (please do not submit multiple documents for the proposal material). A proposal will be deemed non-compliant and not considered for award if any requirement set in this RFP or the guidelines within the proposal template is not met.
Written Proposals
All FY24 CIF proposers are required to submit a proposal that provides the following information: 1) the objectives of the proposed work; 2) the technical implementation, or details describing how the objectives will be met; 3) a description of how the work to be performed is innovative and enhances the state-of-the-art; 4) a statement of the TRL advancement anticipated by the work; 5) a list of external partners; 6) a list of planned deliverables, including analysis, tests, hardware, software, etc.; and 7) the resources required to complete the work. In addition, for projects seeking follow-on funding from a previous year’s CIF award, justification for addition funding, including evidence of accomplishments from the initial award, must be demonstrated in the proposal. See information about the template below. Once a proposal is submitted, the concept and all submitted information are considered the Intellectual Property of the submitting PI.
Proposal Templates
Use of the templates is mandatory. Templates for the written proposal and the summary chart can be found at:
RFP Questions & Answers
Questions and answers (Q&A) regarding the FY24 CIF RFP will be posted on the Ames CCT CIF website and updated periodically as new questions are received. You will not receive a direct response to your question via email. You are encouraged to check the Q&A section on the website within three business days for a response:
- FY24 CIF RFP Questions & Answers (coming soon!)
Questions can be sent until May 31, 2023 to: ARC-CCT@mail.nasa.gov
Selection Criteria FY24 CIF
CIF proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 1) innovation; 2) technical merit and soundness of the approach; 3) effective resource planning and utilization; 4) strategic relevance and value to Ames and NASA; and 5) future funding prospects. The Ames Research and Technology Council (ARTC) will evaluate all submitted proposals that meet the above criteria, and summarized here:
- Innovation: Does the proposal put forth an innovative concept or technology development effort with clearly stated objectives? How does it compare to the state-of-the-art?
- Strategic Relevance: Do the stated objectives support Center priorities or uniquely contribute to otherwise unmet Agency or National needs?
- Technical Merit: Does the proposal put forth a technically sound development plan that meets the stated objectives?
- Effective Resource Planning and Utilization: Does the proposal put forth a realistic and coherent funding plan that is linked to the development plan? Is the proposal team experienced? Is there realism in the stated cost and facilities usage?
- Future Funding: Does the proposals clearly state future funding prospects once the proposal objectives have been met?
- Alignment with Inter-Agency Collaboration Focus Areas: Alignment with one or more of these six areas is not a requirement for selection but may allow Ames to leverage additional funding. For this reason, proposals that align may be given priority.
Reporting Requirements
Principal Investigators with successful CIF proposals will be required to:
- Conduct an oral mid-term progress review as available (often in-lab);
- Brief results at the Ames Research and Technology Showcase (Fall 2024);
- Submit a written Final Report (late Fall 2024);
- Submit an Executive Summary (<100 words) and image/graph of your results;
- Fill out a CIF exit questionnaire after submitting the Final Report (late Fall 2024);
- Validate twice annually CIF data to the Agency’s Technology Portal (TechPort).
Both the mid-term progress review and final report must include a resource expenditure report. A template for the final report will be available to the PIs in late Summer 2024. In addition to the final report, a 100-word Executive Summary (ES) and corresponding image highlighting your results are required after your work is complete. The ES and image will be published in the TechBytes newsletter, an internal Ames quarterly publication highlighting center innovation. Depending on project outcomes, 1-2 FY24 CIF projects will be featured in the Ames FY24 CIF Annual Report and highlighted on the TechBytes cover.
All CIF data are entered into the Agency’s Technology Portal (TechPort). Each awarded project will be validated and updated in TechPort twice annually by the PI, and the final project data must be updated according to the schedule below. The Agency TechPort website can be accessed at: https://techport.nasa.gov/dashboards.
CIF Development Schedule and Deadlines
The projected schedule for the FY24 CIF is provided here. Any changes to this schedule will be reflected on the CCT webpage. Please check the CCT webpage periodically for any updates.
Calendar Year 2023 Activities
April 14 Request For Proposals (RFP) issued (target)
May 31 Last day to submit questions to the RFP Q&A
July 7 Proposal and summary chart due, 5:00 p.m. (PST)
Aug 23-24 HQ CIF Confirmation Review
Sept 8 Notification of award (target)
Oct 1 Start date and release of available award funds (target)
Oct 31 Deadline for PI to validate CIF data in TechPort
Calendar Year 2024 Activities
April/May In-lab/office mid-term progress reviews, as available (target)
October Brief results at Ames Research and Technology Showcase (target)
Nov 30 Final Report due, 5:00 p.m. (PST) (target)
Nov 30 Executive Summary due, 5:00 p.m. (PST) (target)
Nov 30 CIF exit questionnaire, 5:00 p.m. (PST) (target)
Nov 30 Deadline for PI to validate CIF data in TechPort
FY24 CIF Cycle
Ames CIF Program Contact Information
Questions regarding the Ames CIF Program should be directed to Jill Bauman at jill.bauman@nasa.gov
