# Presentation: 302514

## FY07 GSFC IRAD Program Preproposal Conference(AKA Bidder’s Conference)June 4, 2007

**Peter Hughes**
**GSFC Chief Technologist**

## Continued IRAD Process Elements from FY07

***Feedback received indicates much of what we’ve done in the GSFC IRAD formulation and implementation is working. Furthermore, to maintain a stable and repeatable process we are continuing the following from the current program:***
**Opportunity-driven investments in focused areas of interest**
**Opportunity-driven = real future funding opportunity with strong probability of securing funds **
**Pre-proposal Workshop **
**Panel review and ranking of proposals**
**Combined Directed and Competed elements **
**Strategic Integration Panel**
**Strong Participation by New Opportunities Office**
**Spontaneous Investments- 15% Holdback for Midyear Investments**
**Tech Equip Separate, But Strongly Linked with Investment Prioritization**
**Detailed Resource Utilization Plans with Milestones; Quarterly Mgmt. &  Reporting required**

## Differences from FY07

***We continue to learn from current and previous year programs.  We’re making the following changes as a means to improve the program formulation:***
**2-step proposal process**
**Increased role by “GSFC Line of Business” Leads**
**Require technology roadmap and clear identification downstream funding targets in proposal**
**Stronger identification of “target opportunities” and technology needs by Technology Focus Areas**
**Focus Area “Collaboration Workshops” for increased communications and interchange amoung focus area participants, technology providers, etc.**
**Continued focus on near- to mid-term new business capture with increased consideration for longer-term (5-15 year) but high-impact investments **
**Must include a strong business case and clear path to external funding **

## FY08 Call for Proposals

**Proposals are sought for **
**investments that directly lead to capturing near- to mid-term targeted opportunities (e.g. missions, instruments, or other externally funded work.) **
**high risk, high-payoff investments for longer term opportunities **
**other innovative and well justified technology developments are also solicited but fewer are expected to be awarded. **
**Proposed work must be aligned with target opportunities within one or more of the GSFC Lines of Business (LOB)**
**Proposed work must lead to significant competitive advantage for GSFC, provide a unique and compelling capability, and/or significant performance or cost advantages**
**Please READ the Call For Proposals.  Every line.**

## FY08 IRAD Focus Areas

***FY08 Focus Areas are comprised of 5 primary GSFC Lines of Business and one cross-cutting technology area, focused on forward-reaching, strategic technology investments***** **
**	****Astrophysics**
**	****Earth Science**
**	****Heliophysics**
**	****Planetary and Lunar Science**
**	****Exploration Systems and Technologies**
**	****Strategic Capabilities**

## IRAD Proposal Content

**Proposal Template is provided for both Step 1 and Step 2 proposals **
**Abstract**
** ****Background**
** ****Technical Objectives and Approach**
** ****Justification and Benefit**
** ****Resources**
**Civil Servant resources (FTE and full cost $)**
**Procurement ($)**
**Future Funding and Development Plan *****(New/Increased Emphasis)***
***Template is ***_***required***_*** and provided online with the Call For Proposals***
***NOTE: *****The IRAD Call for Proposals and Template have been revised requesting the proposer’s needs for Technical Equipment and Facilities**

## IRAD Selection Criteria

**Strategic Alignment-**** explicit identification of what work the proposal enables toward winning future AO and/or discrete opportunity**
**Technical Merit-**** realism and completeness of the proposed work; realistic and coherent development plan**
**Return on Investment (ROI)**** - Demonstrated return on investment within 3-5 years for near term opportunities and 5-10 years for longer term opportunities.  **
**ROI must be clearly described in terms of funding to the Center, amount and quality of in-house work, strategic positioning, partnering, etc., as well as extent and significance of progress as result of this investment**
**Comparative Assessment-**** evaluation of this proposal versus competitive capabilities elsewhere (why GSFC? Why now?)**
**Effective and Realistic Use of Resources-**** experience of team, cross-organizational composition of team, cost realism, facilities use, etc.****=> realism of future funding stream & likelihood of securing external $$**

## Technical Equipment Requirements and Dependencies

**To increase the coordination and simplify decision making between the IRAD and Center Technical Equipment processes **
**IRAD proposals should include requests for technical equipment investments that are unique and necessary for the accomplishment of the proposed effort; **
**IRAD proposals should also identify any other known existing tasks, efforts, or IRAD proposals that depend on this proposed acquisition of technical equipment.  **
**Note: If the proposal is dependent upon the use of other existing (already purchased) specialized or general-purpose technical equipment that may be in high demand, please specify this dependency and estimated time period that this equipment is needed for the proposed IRAD work. **

## Eligibility

**Proposals must be submitted by GSFC civil servant employees only.**
**New Innovators- Employees with less than seven years professional experience are encouraged to submit novel, strategically-relevant proposals.  **
**Goal is to stimulate innovation and increase participation by GSFC’s early career employees**
**New Innovator must: ****	****- initiate and author a unique proposal****	****- demonstrate they are qualified to carry out proposed work ****	****- serve as the PI, and ****	****- lead and perform a significant amount of the technical work.****  **

## Education and Public Outreach

**GSFC will fund a limited number of innovative education and public outreach proposals that are compelling and have strong ties to current or future projects**
**Evaluation criteria will include:**
**1.  Educational Merit:** Education projects should be directed toward higher education, K-12, or informal education, consistent with the Agency-adopted “Strategic Coordination Framework: A Portfolio Approach,” available from Susan Rambo in the Education Office (Bldg. 28, N165) or at 6-7205
**2.  Contribution to a strategically important effort within one of the Center’s focus areas**
**3.  Likelihood of future HQ, project or other funding from sources outside the Center investment accounts**
**NOTE: A strong endorsement from a proposal team or current project is strongly advised**

## FY08 IRAD Schedule

**May 30: ****	****	****Call for proposals issued**
**June 20: ****	****	****Step-1 proposals due**
**July 13:****	****	****Step-1 proposals downselect announcements **
**Aug 6: ****	****	****Step-2 proposals due **
**September 14: ****	****Announcement of FY08 awards **
**October 1: ****	****Target program start date**

## Focus Area Points of Contact

**Astrophysics: ****	****	****	****Louis Barbier/ Carl Stahl**
**Earth Science: ****	****	****	****Bob Connerton/ Carl Stahl**
**Exploration Systems: ****	****	****Tupper Hyde**
**Heliosphysics: ****	****	****	****John Sigwarth/ Mike Johnson                                                                         **
**Planetary and Lunar Science: ****	****Dave Glennar/M. Matsumura**
**Strategic Capabilities****	****	****Tupper Hyde/Azita Valinia**
**	****Proposers are encouraged to attend the Collaboration Workshops and discuss specific applications and opportunities with the Focus Area technologists in advance of proposal development and/or submittal **

## Pre-proposal Workshops

**There will be a general Pre-proposal Workshop to go over the specifics and to handle general questions with the Call For Proposals.  **
**In addition, each of the Focus Areas will also host Focus Area Collaboration Workshops to share specific subtopics of interest, technical challenges and technology needs.  **
**These workshops will also be an opportunity to identify teaming or collaborative arrangements between technologists, scientists, etc...**
**All of these sessions will be limited to Badged Civil Servants.****  **

## Collaboration Workshops

**Objectives:**** **
**provide details on the Focus Area Objectives and Priorities**
**identify target opportunities to be pursued and rationale**
**identify particular technical challenges and technology needs**
**Why:****  Strong feedback for increased communication on priorities and technical needs in Focus Areas**
**Who:**** Lead,  ensure attendance by only Badged Civil Servants and approved a-priori badged Contractors (leave it to Focus Area Lead to approve badged Contractors, but would prefer to keep them to a minimum)**
**When:**** This week to allow adequate time for proposers to prepare proposal before due date**
**Where:**** See table **
**Desired Outcome:**** **
**increased understanding of directions and priorities of Focus Area **
**rich exchange of ideas and leads for new or improved collaborations and/or opportunities for technology infusion**
**increased focus and innovation in proposals**

## Collaboration Workshops

## Instructions and Guidance

**Full FY08 IRAD Call for Proposals is available within the access-controlled (civil servants only) Goddard Proposal Support Environment (GPSE) provided at:**
**	**** **_**http:**__**//gpse**__**.**__**gsfc**__**.**__**nasa**__**.**__**gov**_** **
**On this site you can access tools to:**
**Download the IRAD proposal template**
**2) Submit proposals using the  IRAD Proposal Submission Systems****	**
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## New to FY08 IRAD- Consequences for Failing to Follow Instructions???

- Failed to ReadInstructionsCarefully

- Didn’t Delete
- Boilerplate Text from Template

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## GSFC Integrated Design Center

- The IDC is an environment that facilitates multi-disciplinary, collaborative space system engineering, design and analysis activities to allow rapid development of science instrumentation and mission architecture concepts
- 1-2 week long studies in the Integrated Mission Design Center (IMDC) or the Instrument Synthesis and Analysis Lab (ISAL)
- Resource needs:  0.35 - 0.45 FTE  and
- 	$35K - $40K  service fee per study week
- Point of Contact:
- 	Bruce Campbell, IDC Manager
- 	301-286-9808

## Key Points for Potential Proposers:

**Read Call for Proposals thoroughly**
**Ensure your proposal is compliant with the call and addresses the evaluation criteria**
**Use the proposal template provided and GPSE-based proposal submission system in the FY08 IRAD area**
**Write a clear and compelling justification for why GSFC should make this investment now**
**Identify external funding sources for potential leveraging **
**Consider proposing a multi-phased approach with discrete investments of modest scope rather than one large all-or-nothing proposal**
**Identify full development plan and future funding source(s) for the proposed capability/application**

## Questions?

## Strategic Capabilities Focus Area

**Cross-cutting- clearly and directly supports multi-Lines of Business *****(First and Foremost)***
**New opportunity- or Mission-enabling technologies for NEXT-generation systems and mission**
**Significant innovation and potential impact =>  *****Well beyond current capabilities***
**Leverages or demonstrates emerging technologies for very significant new capability or cost/risk reduction**
**Ideally, enables new Mission or **_**significantly**_** improves existing system or capability**
**NOT INTENDED to serve as a stop-gap funding/FTE source for capabilities historically covered but now found to be with inadequate resources**

## Strategic Capabilities

**Sought are innovations whose one year / low budget development are likely to be influential in bringing further externally funded technology or development project work to GSFC. **
**In addition to proposals targeted at our near-term opportunities we expect to support a small number of innovative projects that have longer-term (i.e. more than five years) relevance and application.  These might be more speculative investigations that have the potential of very **_**high impact**_**. **
**Proposals must**
**clearly identify strategic target, potential impact **
**provide a compelling justification for ‘why now?’**
**include a realistic future funding and development path**