Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants  (AAG)

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Announcement  05-608

As announced on May 21st, proposers must prepare and submit proposals to the National Science Foundation (NSF) using the NSF FastLane system at http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/. This approach is being taken to support efficient Grants.gov operations during this busy workload period and in response to OMB direction guidance issued March 9, 2009. NSF will continue to post information about available funding opportunities to Grants.gov FIND and will continue to collaborate with institutions who have invested in system-to-system submission functionality as their preferred proposal submission method. NSF remains committed to the long-standing goal of streamlined grants processing and plans to provide a web services interface for those institutions that want to use their existing grants management systems to directly submit proposals to NSF.

Please be advised that the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) includes revised guidelines to implement the mentoring provisions of the America COMPETES Act (ACA) (Pub. L. No. 110-69, Aug. 9, 2007.) As specified in the ACA, each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals. Proposals that do not comply with this requirement will be returned without review (see the PAPP Guide Part I: Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II for further information about the implementation of this new requirement).

DUE DATES

Full Proposal Window:  September 15, 2009 - November 15, 2009

September 15 - November 15, Annually Thereafter

Full Proposal Window:  September 15, 2010 - November 15, 2010

September 15 - November 15, Annually Thereafter

SYNOPSIS

The Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants (AAG) Program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for observational, theoretical, laboratory and archival data studies in all areas of astronomy and astrophysics, including but not limited to the following areas of study:

• Planetary Astronomy: Studies of the detailed structure and composition of the surfaces, interiors and atmospheres of the planets and satellites in the Solar System; the nature of small bodies (asteroids and comets); the inter-planetary medium; and the origin and development of the Solar System.

• Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics: Studies of the structure and activity of the Sun and other stars; the physical properties and composition of all types of single and multiple stars; compact objects and their interactions; extra-solar system planet formation and detection; star formation and stellar evolution; stellar nucleosynthesis; and the properties of atoms and molecules of relevance to stellar astronomy.

• Galactic Astronomy: Studies on the composition, structure and evolution of the Milky Way galaxy and nearby galaxies. Research may focus on the stellar populations in these galaxies; the characteristics of star clusters; the interstellar medium; and the properties of atomic and molecular constituents of the interstellar medium.

• Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology: Studies of the more distant Universe. Research topics include galaxy formation, evolution and interaction; active galaxies; quasars; large-scale structure; and all areas of cosmology.

Proposals submitted to the AAG Program do not require categorization into one of the study areas identified above. Proposals may span multiple disciplines and/or areas of study and may utilize multiple techniques. Principal Investigators are encouraged to contact one of the Program Officers listed in this announcement prior to submitting a proposal to the AAG Program, particularly if the proposal will include investigators at multiple institutions.

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Research in Undergraduate Institutions (NSF 00-144)

Dear Colleague Letter: Biology - Research Opportunity Award (ROA): Supplement Opportunity (NSF 05-548)

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) (NSF 05-592)

RELATED PROGRAMS

Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Research in Undergraduate Institutions

Research Opportunity Award (ROA): Supplement Opportunity

Abstracts of Recent Awards Made Through This Program

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