D.4 University Leadership Initiative (ULI) | NNH20ZEA001N ULI

Opportunity Information: Apply for NNH20ZEA001N ULI

The D.4 University Leadership Initiative (ULI) is a NASA aeronautics research grant opportunity designed to put universities in a true leadership role, not just as performers of predefined tasks. The program is set up for university teams to identify and propose their own high-impact technical challenges in aeronautics, build credible multidisciplinary research approaches to address those challenges, and demonstrate strong organizational leadership through thoughtful team structures and internal peer review. In practical terms, NASA is looking for teams that can define a compelling problem, justify why it matters to the future of aviation, outline a coordinated research plan that spans multiple disciplines, and show how the team will manage quality and accountability through review mechanisms and innovative collaboration strategies.

The solicitation seeks proposals across seven topic areas that align with NASA Aeronautics strategic thrusts. These include: (1) Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations, which focuses on enabling aviation to scale safely and efficiently as demand and complexity increase worldwide; (2) Innovation in Commercial Supersonic Aircraft, aimed at advancing technologies and concepts that could make supersonic travel viable and acceptable in commercial settings; (3) Ultra-Efficient Subsonic Transports, emphasizing major efficiency gains for conventional air transport through aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and operations; (4) Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles, which targets rotorcraft and emerging vertical lift concepts with improvements in safety, community noise, and cost; (5) In-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance, centered on methods and tools to assure safety across the broader airspace and aviation ecosystem, potentially in more real-time or predictive ways; (6) Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation, addressing trustworthy autonomy for aircraft and aviation systems as autonomy becomes more central to operations; and (7) Zero Emission Aviation, focused on pathways to eliminate in-flight emissions, including enabling technologies, system concepts, and the supporting analysis needed to make them practical.

Administratively, this opportunity is issued under NASA’s National Research Announcement framework and will make awards using a cooperative agreement, which typically implies meaningful involvement from NASA during the period of performance compared to a standard grant. The funding opportunity number is NNH20ZEA001N, and it is listed under CFDA 43.002. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility language contained in the full announcement.

The application process uses a two-step submission model. First, applicants must submit a short, mandatory Step-A proposal, with a due date of June 22, 2021. NASA will evaluate these Step-A submissions and invite only the most highly rated teams to submit a more detailed Step-B proposal. All submissions are handled electronically through NSPIRES (https://nspires.nasaprs.com), NASA’s proposal submission portal, so teams need to ensure their institutional registrations and access permissions are in place well ahead of deadlines.

NASA also scheduled an Applicant’s Workshop for April 15, 2021, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET (https://uli.arc.nasa.gov/applicants-workshops/workshop5), giving prospective applicants a chance to hear details, expectations, and guidance that can help shape competitive Step-A proposals. The solicitation anticipates making about three awards. An explicit award ceiling is not specified in the provided listing, which usually means applicants should rely on the full NRA text for funding expectations, allowable costs, period of performance details, and any limits or requirements tied to each topic area.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA Headquarters in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "D.4 University Leadership Initiative (ULI)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.002.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 23, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 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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