NASA Space Biology GeneLab Innovation Awards Research Announcement (ROSBio-2016 Appendix A)

 
This National Aeronautics and Space Administration NRA “Appendix A - GeneLab Innovation Awards for Translational Systems Biology and Informatics Research Using the GeneLab Data System” is an Appendix to the omnibus NASA Research Announcement ROSBio-2016. This NRA solicits research that utilizes the GeneLab Data System to translate spaceflight research data into new knowledge relating to the responses of living systems in the spaceflight environment. Proposals are required to use the GeneLab Data System, on its own, or in combination with other public spaceflight and ground-based omics databases. Proposals are sought that address two specific research emphases:
 
a)Systems Biology Informatics Research Using the GeneLab Data System: Proposals should be designed to develop new computational biology tools that will enable users to perform novel informatics research that enhance the usability and value of GeneLab for all future open science-based investigations.
b)Systems Biology Experimental Research Using the GeneLab Data System: Proposals are invited for ground-based hypothesis-driven research investigations that are derived from analyzing the data in the GeneLab Data System. Proposals must translate the spaceflight derived data in the GeneLab database into new knowledge that addresses the objectives of NASA’s life sciences missions and contributes new data and information to GeneLab.
 
NASA anticipates that up to 3 awards will be made for the research requested in this NRA and that each grant will last 1-2 years for a total cost of $250K.
 
Appendix A, which will be released on or about March 24, 2016 can be found by opening the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/ and then linking through the menu listings "Solicitations" to "Open Solicitations."
 
Non-binding notices of Intents (NOIs) are due April 25, 2016 at 5 PM Eastern Time, and full proposals, the technical section of which shall not exceed 15 pages, are due June 28, 2016 at 5 PM Eastern Time. Proposals must be submitted electronically by an authorized official of the proposing organization. Proposers may use either NSPIRES (https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/) or Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov) for proposal submission. NASA’s selection of research projects will be guided by recommendations of the National Research Council’s 2011 Decadal Survey Report, “Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration: Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era” (https://www.nap.edu/catalog/13048/recapturing-a-future-for-space-exploration-life-and-physical-sciences)
 
All categories of U.S. institutions are eligible to submit proposals in response to this Appendix. Principal Investigators (PIs) may collaborate with investigators from universities, Federal Government laboratories, the private sector, state and local government laboratories and other countries with the exception of China.
 
Every organization that intends to submit a proposal in response to Appendix A must be registered with NSPIRES, and such registration must identify the authorized organizational representative(s) who will submit electronic proposals. Instructions on how to register in NSPIRES are described in the omnibus NRA (ROSBio-2016). Each electronic proposal requires the registration of principal investigators and other participants (e.g. co-investigators). Potential proposers and proposing organizations are urged to access the system(s) well in advance of the proposal due date(s) to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested information. Questions about this ROSBio-2016 and this Appendix may be addressed to the contacts referenced in the full solicitation document.
 
This is a broad agency announcement as specified in FAR 6.102 (d)(2). All awards resulting from selections of proposals to this Appendix and future Appendices will be grants or cooperative agreements.
 
Programmatic information for this NRA is available from:
Dr. David L. Tomko, Program Scientist for Space Biology
Life and Physical Sciences Division, NASA Headquarters
Phone: 202-358-2211
Email: dtomko@nasa.gov
 
NASA contracting information for this NRA is available from: Benjamin S. Benvenutti, Lead Contract Specialist
NASA Shared Services Center
Email: benjamin.s.benvenutti@nasa.gov
Phone: (228) 813-6128.