The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) has announced the funding opportunity "ROSES 2025: C.22 Precursor Science Investigations for Europa." This opportunity is part of the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2025, an omnibus research announcement supporting various scientific investigations. The focus of this specific program element is to fund scientific investigations that will help prepare for future missions to Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon. Research will contribute to understanding Europa’s environment and improving mission strategies, technology, and instrumentation.

Funding for this opportunity will be provided through grants or cooperative agreements, depending on the nature of the work proposed. While the total program funding amount is not specified, awards are expected to cover a typical period of three years, though some programs within ROSES allow up to five years. There are no specified award ceilings or floors for individual grants under this opportunity. Cost sharing or matching is not required for applicants.

Eligible applicants include organizations affiliated with institutions registered on NASA’s NSPIRES system. Generally, NASA provides funding only to U.S. institutions, although foreign organizations may participate if they follow a no-exchange-of-funds policy. Specific eligibility guidelines for non-U.S. participants can be found in NASA’s Proposer’s Guide. Some NASA Research Announcements (NRAs) may be issued jointly with non-U.S. organizations, particularly those related to international space science programs.

The application process for this grant follows a two-step submission procedure. Step-1 proposals must be submitted by May 9, 2025. Only applicants who submit a Step-1 proposal are eligible to submit a Step-2 proposal, which is due by the final application deadline of July 11, 2025. Applications must include required forms specified in the program’s instruction documents, which can be accessed via the official ROSES 2025 webpage.

For more information, applicants can visit the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) site. Additional guidance and program-specific details can be found in the ROSES 2025 solicitation tables (Tables 2 and 3) and the ROSES Summary of Solicitation. General inquiries can be directed to the Science Mission Directorate Deputy Associate Administrator for Research at sara@nasa.gov, while program-specific questions should be addressed to Curt Niebur and Henry Throop at HQ-PSIE@mail.nasa.gov.