NASA ROSES A.14: Atmosphere Research Program
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Quick Answer:
NASA's Atmosphere program element (A.14) is a new addition to ROSES-2025, amended July 20, 2026, that funds data analysis and modeling of NASA-supported airborne campaign data to advance understanding of atmospheric composition, air quality, and weather dynamics. Proposals must use NASA airborne campaign data as a required foundation, with satellite and ground-based data allowed only as a complement, not a substitute. A mandatory Notice of Intent is due August 20, 2026, and full proposals are due October 20, 2026. Proposals not preceded by an on-time NOI will be declined without review.
Program Background
In late 2025, NASA's Earth System Science Research Program replaced its prior six Focus Areas with six new Earth science research spheres: Atmosphere, Biosphere, Cryosphere, Geosphere, Hydrosphere, and Enabling Capabilities. NASA now plans to issue an annual ROSES funding opportunity for each sphere, with specific themes changing year to year. The Atmosphere sphere absorbed several prior programs, including the Upper Atmosphere Research Program, Tropospheric Composition Program, Radiation Science Program, Atmospheric Composition Modeling and Analysis Program, and elements of the former Weather and Atmospheric Dynamics Focus Area.
What Science Questions Does This Program Address?
The Atmosphere program funds research that improves process-level understanding of phenomena not yet sufficiently observed or modeled, organized around four questions: how atmospheric composition is changing, how composition and solar radiation influence the Earth system, how composition and Earth system changes affect air quality, and how dynamic and thermodynamic structures tied to weather events evolve across spatial and temporal scales. Relevant science includes stratospheric ozone recovery and UV radiation impacts, tropospheric ozone and trace gas evolution, aerosol and cloud lifecycle effects on the radiation budget, and atmospheric dynamics tied to air quality.
What Data Must Proposals Use?
Use of NASA-supported sub-orbital (airborne) campaign data is mandatory. Proposals relying primarily on space-based remote sensing without airborne campaign data will be deemed unresponsive and returned without review. Preference goes to proposals that also pair airborne data with satellite remote sensing, ground-based observations, or modeling, and to proposals that draw on multiple field campaigns together. Illustrative airborne campaigns include ACCLIP, ACTIVATE, AEROMMA/STAQS, APMAC, ARCSIX, ASIA-AQ, ATom, CAMP2Ex, CPEX-AW, CPEX-CV, DCOTTS, IMPACTS, MAGEQ, MOOSE, PACE-PAX, SCOAPE, TRACER-AQ, and WHy2MSIE/APEX. Proposals tied to future campaigns such as NURTURE or EVS-4, or focused primarily on algorithm and model development without campaign data, are not solicited and will be returned without review.
What Are the Five Sub-Elements?
Proposers must select one primary sub-element for review panel assignment: Aerosols, Clouds, and Radiative Forcing; Tropospheric Composition and Dynamics; Upper Tropospheric and Stratospheric Composition and Dynamics; Atmospheric Physics, which is narrowed specifically to studies using NASA remote sensing assets targeting the planetary boundary layer; and Cross-Cutting Research, for proposals spanning multiple Atmosphere sub-elements or reaching into other Earth science spheres, provided atmospheric science remains the main focus.
Who Is Eligible?
The program follows standard ROSES eligibility. NASA center researchers already funded through the Internal Scientist Funding Model for matching work should not submit a proposal for that same activity, though they may participate as unfunded collaborators with program scientist approval. Federal agencies other than NASA cannot receive funding through this element but may participate as unfunded collaborators. Non-U.S. organizations may participate on a no-exchange-of-funds basis, with their portion of work funded through other sources.
What Are the Proposal Format Requirements?
The Science/Technical/Management section is limited to 10 pages. The anonymized technical proposal includes the S/T/M section, an anonymized Table of Work Effort, and references, all prepared for dual-anonymous peer review with numerical in-text reference callouts. A separate, non-anonymized Expertise and Resources document contains personnel details, biographical sketches and Current and Pending Support in SciENcv format, letters of support, facilities and equipment descriptions, and the Open Science and Data Management Plan, capped at two pages. A separately uploaded, unredacted Total Budget file is also required, along with an optional High-End Computing request.
What Is Dual-Anonymous Peer Review?
All proposals go through NASA's dual-anonymous peer review process, meaning proposers do not know reviewer identities and reviewers do not know proposer identities during evaluation. Proposals that violate anonymization or formatting rules may have material redacted or be returned without review; violations discovered later can result in a proposal being declined after review.
Is Research Security Training Required?
Effective August 5, 2026, any PI or Co-I dedicating 10 percent or more time to a proposed award must certify completion of research security training, satisfied by either the four NSF Research Security Training modules or the SECURE Center's condensed equivalent.
How Are Proposals Evaluated?
NASA divides the expected annual budget across the five sub-element panels before review begins, so proposals in different sub-elements do not compete against each other for the same funds. Each proposal is independently scored by three reviewers before the panel meeting, and proposals scoring below a general adjectival rating of Good may be triaged and not discussed in the full panel session, though written summaries are still prepared.
What Is the Funding Amount and Timeline?
NASA expects to fund approximately 30 to 50 new awards from an annual budget of about 8 million dollars, split across the five sub-elements after proposals are submitted. Awards run up to 3 years, with an anticipated investigation start about 6 months after the proposal due date.
How Do I Submit a Proposal?
Proposals are submitted electronically through NSPIRES at nspires.nasaprs.com. No hard copies are accepted. Applicants who need to submit through Grants.gov must request access at least 30 days before the due date from the points of contact listed in the solicitation, copying sara@nasa.gov. The Grants.gov funding opportunity number is NNH25ZDA001N-ATMOS.
Key Dates
Mandatory Notice of Intent: August 20, 2026 Proposal due date: October 20, 2026 Anticipated investigation start: approximately 6 months after the proposal due date
Program Contacts
Ken Jucks, Sphere Lead, kenneth.w.jucks@nasa.gov Emma Knowland, k.e.knowland@nasa.gov Will McCarty, will.mccarty@nasa.gov Ed Nowottnick, edward.p.nowottnick@nasa.gov John Sullivan, john.t.sullivan@nasa.gov
How Can BW&CO Help With an Atmosphere Proposal?
BW&CO Consulting helps research teams position competitive ROSES proposals, including anonymization compliance for dual-anonymous peer review, sub-element selection strategy, technical narrative development, and NSPIRES submission logistics, so applicants can meet the August 20, 2026 NOI deadline and October 20, 2026 proposal deadline with a complete, evaluation-ready package.
Contact BW&CO Consulting to discuss NASA ROSES A.14 Atmosphere eligibility and proposal strategy.
