2024 Human Exploration Research Opportunities (HERO) Overview

NASA has announced a research grant opportunity called "Human Exploration Research Opportunities (HERO)" for 2024. The program is a part of NASA's Human Research Program and will focus on applied research beneficial to human space exploration.

The research categories to be covered include space radiation, human health countermeasures, exploration medical capability, human factors and behavioral performance, and research operations and integration. The aim is to promote human health, develop performance countermeasures, establish knowledge foundation, and create technologies and tools that will contribute to a safe and productive human space exploration journey.

Financially, funding awards for research activities tend to vary largely depending on the project's nature and scope. Small projects may receive less than $100,000 yearly, whereas extensive projects could get up to $1.2 million a year. Individual research opportunities could have a total budget ranging from under a million to several million dollars, allowing for selection from just a few to even a dozen proposals based on merit and alignment with program objectives. The duration for award performance can stretch from one to five years.

All categories of U.S. institutions are eligible to submit proposals for this research grant.

The HERO program uses a two-step submission process. Only proposals submitted in the first round (Step-1) considered compliant and relevant will get an invite to submit a further detailed proposal (Step-2).

The application window for this grant runs from October 2, 2023, to September 30, 2024, with staggered due dates for proposals. The first deadline, specifically for appendices A, B, and C, is November 1, 2023.

Details of application dates and submission instructions are posted on NASA's NSPIRES website. It's advised for interested parties to monitor the website or subscribe to SOMD notifications for updates on new program elements or amendments until September 2024.

Proposals may include collaborations with universities, federal government laboratories, the private sector, and state and local government laboratories. Applying entities are expected to manage the project as per the management approach spelled out in the proposal. NASA also encourages cooperative research with non-U.S. organizations, albeit with no funds exchange.