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NASA SSERVI CAN-5 2026 Funding Opportunity: Up to $1.8 Million Per Year for Lunar, Mars-Forward, Workforce Development and Citizen Science Research

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NASA SSERVI CAN-5 Is Open – Major Funding for Lunar, Artemis & Mars-Forward Research Teams

NASA SSERVI CAN-5 Is Open – Major Funding for Lunar, Artemis & Mars-Forward Research Teams

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NASA has released the final Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute Cooperative Agreement Notice-5 (SSERVI CAN-5), inviting multi-institutional research teams to compete for major cooperative agreement awards supporting lunar science, planetary exploration, NASA’s Artemis programme and research that uses the Moon to prepare for future exploration of Mars.

The final opportunity is:

SSERVI CAN-5 – NNH26ZDA016C

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate are jointly supporting the initiative. The call seeks integrated, multi-institutional teams capable of advancing fundamental and applied research on the Moon and its near-space environment, while strengthening connections between planetary science and human exploration. “Mars forward” projects that use lunar research to develop approaches relevant to eventual Mars exploration are explicitly welcomed.

The funding opportunity is particularly notable because teams can combine major scientific research with activities designed to strengthen the future STEM workforce and broaden public participation in NASA science.

The detailed CAN funding structure anticipates:

The $180,000 is important to understand correctly: it is not an additional $180,000 on top of the $1.8 million annual award. It is part of the overall annual team budget and can support the additional workforce and engagement components.

The proposal process has two stages:

Step-1 Proposal Deadline: September 29, 2026 at 11:59:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Step-2 Full Proposal Deadline: December 4, 2026

Only teams that submit the required Step-1 proposal may proceed to Step 2. NASA will use dual-anonymous peer review, and applicants must submit their proposals through NASA’s NSPIRES system rather than through Grants.gov.

Important update about the earlier draft

The document initially circulated for community comment was DRAFT SSERVI CAN-5, NNH26ZDA013J. That draft was issued on July 10, 2026 and closed for comments on July 28. NASA has since issued the final call as NNH26ZDA016C, so applicants should use the final announcement number and final deadlines rather than the dates or placeholders contained in the draft.

This article therefore uses NASA’s final announcement for the current solicitation number and deadlines, while drawing on the detailed CAN documentation supplied with the opportunity for the programme’s research structure, funding architecture and proposal requirements.

About NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute

The Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, or SSERVI, is a distributed research institute that brings together expertise from the scientific and human exploration communities.

Its premise is that:

Science enables exploration, and exploration enables science.

SSERVI is designed to create collaborative research teams rather than fund a collection of isolated individual projects.

The Institute connects researchers working across areas such as:

Selected teams become participating members of the broader SSERVI network and are expected to collaborate both internally and across other Institute teams.

The Institute is coordinated through SSERVI Central at NASA Ames Research Center. Its virtual structure enables geographically distributed universities, research organisations, NASA institutions, industry partners and other eligible organisations to work together on large interdisciplinary problems.

What NASA Is Looking for Through SSERVI CAN-5

NASA is not seeking disconnected small projects under this call.

It wants:

Multi-institutional, team-based, integrated research programmes.

The final announcement specifies that proposals should present innovative basic and/or applied research that advances understanding of:

NASA says proposals complementing current CAN-4 SSERVI teams, or filling important research gaps not already covered by the Institute, will receive strong consideration.

Supporting NASA’s Artemis Programme

A central objective of CAN-5 is supporting NASA’s return to the Moon through:

The Moon is therefore not treated solely as a scientific destination.

It is also regarded as a location where researchers can develop knowledge, methods and operational experience necessary for future human exploration.

The “Mars Forward” Approach

NASA explicitly welcomes:

Mars-forward research

This means proposals may use studies of the Moon to develop:

that could later inform Mars missions.

The Moon can serve as an intermediate environment for studying issues such as:

NASA’s final announcement specifically confirms that proposals using lunar-focused research to develop approaches to Mars exploration are welcome.

Anticipated Funding: Up to $1.8 Million Per Year

The detailed CAN funding table anticipates:

$9 million in first-year funding for all new awards

with approximately:

Five awards

at an anticipated level of:

$1.8 million per year for five years

or approximately:

$9 million per selected team over five years.

If five awards were funded at the anticipated maximum annual level across the full five-year period, the overall multi-year programme value could be substantial.

However, applicants should not interpret future-year funding as automatically guaranteed.

The detailed CAN notes that awards are generally not fully funded upfront and future-year funding depends on:

Applicants should therefore construct realistic five-year budgets while recognising the federal appropriations condition attached to out-year funding.

Up to $180,000 Per Year for Workforce Development, Citizen Science and Public Engagement

One of the most interesting features of SSERVI CAN-5 is its explicit integration of scientific research with wider workforce and community engagement.

The detailed CAN allows teams to request up to an average of:

$180,000 per year

across the proposed five-year period for the combined activities associated with:

Again, this amount is part of the overall SSERVI team budget rather than an additional award outside the main funding ceiling.

This provision creates an unusual opportunity for institutions that want to combine advanced lunar and planetary research with:

Workforce Development Plan

NASA places significant emphasis on preparing the next generation of researchers, scientists and engineers.

The Workforce Development Plan should describe how the team will:

The detailed CAN identifies possible activities such as:

NASA also encourages partnerships that expand access to relevant knowledge and skills.

What the Workforce Development Plan Must Explain

The plan should clearly identify:

An evaluation approach is required so the team can assess progress against its stated workforce objectives and identify areas for improvement.

Citizen Science Opportunities

SSERVI teams must also connect their activities with NASA’s broader public-engagement ecosystem.

The detailed solicitation allows proposals to include a:

Citizen Science Plan

A team may either:

Citizen science involves members of the public actively contributing to scientific research.

NASA expects these projects to maintain rigorous scientific standards and involve meaningful interaction between professional scientists and volunteers.

What a New Citizen Science Project Should Address

Teams proposing a new citizen-science initiative should explain issues including:

The programme therefore treats citizen science as a genuine research method rather than simply a promotional activity.

Science Activation Plan

Teams can alternatively or additionally develop a:

Science Activation Plan

NASA’s Science Activation, or SciAct, approach aims to connect people of different ages and backgrounds with NASA science.

Activities might include:

The objective is to connect SSERVI-generated knowledge with established NASA Science Activation audiences and dissemination networks.

Space Apps Plan

Teams may also develop a:

Space Apps Plan

NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge is a global hackathon encouraging participants to use NASA data and resources to address challenges related to Earth and space.

A SSERVI team proposing a Space Apps component should consider developing relevant challenges and engaging subject-matter experts capable of supporting participants.

The detailed CAN indicates that Space Apps plans should explain:

A Citizen Science, Science Activation or Space Apps Plan Is Expected

The detailed CAN states that SSERVI proposals should contain an engagement plan involving:

or some combination of these approaches.

Teams should identify a relevant liaison, subject-matter experts, personnel and corresponding budget.

This means public engagement is not simply an optional paragraph added at the end of the science proposal.

It is integrated into how NASA expects SSERVI teams to contribute to the wider scientific ecosystem.

Major Scientific Research Areas

The CAN supports a broad range of lunar and exploration research.

The detailed research list is explicitly non-exhaustive, meaning teams do not have to cover every area.

Potential research areas include the following.

Fundamental Lunar Geology

Research may examine:

Lunar Environment

Research may examine the environmental conditions surrounding and affecting the Moon.

Possible subjects include:

Lunar Volatiles

The distribution and behaviour of volatiles are important both scientifically and for future exploration.

Potential research includes:

Lunar Regolith

Regolith research is particularly relevant to future human and robotic surface activity.

Possible subjects include:

Lunar Dust

Dust can affect:

Relevant research could examine:

Returned Samples and Meteorites

SSERVI research can also include investigations involving:

of returned lunar samples and meteorites.

Sample Management

Relevant research may address:

Sample science is particularly significant as NASA prepares for future Artemis surface activities and potential sample return.

Cosmic Rays and Solar Storms

Proposals may study galactic cosmic rays and solar events in relation to:

Understanding the radiation environment is essential for longer-duration human activity beyond Earth.

Robotics, Automation and Autonomous Systems

Relevant areas may include:

The detailed CAN indicates that new technological approaches are welcome where they form part of a broader integrated scientific programme.

Planetary Protection

Possible areas include:

The Moon as a Scientific Platform

The unique lunar environment may also support research into broader astrophysical and fundamental-physics questions.

Examples listed in the CAN include:

The programme therefore extends beyond conventional lunar geology.

Multi-Institutional Collaboration Is Required

A defining feature of the SSERVI model is collaboration.

Teams must involve expertise from:

More than one institution.

The programme also expects varied technical expertise rather than a team composed exclusively of researchers working in a single narrow subfield.

Research tasks should be intellectually connected.

A proposal that divides funding among unrelated projects without a convincing unifying research structure is unlikely to reflect the Institute model.

Who Can Apply?

This is primarily an institutional research funding opportunity, not an individual scholarship or personal fellowship.

Eligible entities identified in the detailed CAN include several categories.

Educational Organisations

Potentially eligible institutions include:

Nonprofit Organisations

The detailed CAN lists:

Government Organisations

Categories include:

For-Profit Organisations

Eligible categories include:

The detailed programme description also identifies research organisations such as universities, industry partners, FFRDCs, NASA Centers and other U.S. government agencies as part of the target research community.

Lead Institution Requirement

For multi-organisational proposals, one organisation serves as the:

Lead Institution

The detailed CAN states that this should be the:

Principal Investigator’s home institution.

NASA funding is provided to U.S. institutions under the solicitation framework.

The final public opportunity listing likewise states that proposers must be affiliated with institutions registered in NSPIRES and that NASA generally provides funding only to U.S. institutions.

Can International Researchers Participate?

Yes, but with an important distinction.

The opportunity is not structured as an internationally funded grant where institutions worldwide can independently lead and receive NASA funding.

Instead:

NASA generally provides funding to U.S. institutions.

International researchers and institutions may participate through collaborations conducted under NASA’s applicable no-exchange-of-funds rules.

The detailed CAN encourages U.S. proposers to collaborate with international researchers, including relevant existing SSERVI international partners and other appropriate organisations, while making clear that international lead institutions are not solicited.

Restriction Concerning China and Chinese-Owned Companies

The detailed CAN contains a specific institutional and national-participation restriction.

It states that proposals involving bilateral participation, collaboration or coordination with China or Chinese-owned companies, whether funded or under a no-exchange-of-funds arrangement, are ineligible for award under the solicitation.

Applicants involved in international partnerships should therefore read the final CAN and NASA Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual carefully before building the proposal team.

Is Cost Sharing Required?

No.

The detailed CAN states:

Cost sharing is not required.

NASA may accept voluntary cost sharing, but it is not a prerequisite for competing for the award.

Two-Step Application Process

SSERVI CAN-5 uses a mandatory two-stage proposal process.

This is one of the most important requirements to understand.

Step 1: Preliminary Proposal

Step-1 proposals are due:

September 29, 2026 at 11:59:59 PM EDT.

Submitting Step 1 is mandatory.

NASA’s final announcement confirms:

Only proposers that submit Step 1 are eligible to submit Step 2.

What Goes Into Step 1?

The detailed CAN describes Step 1 as a short preliminary summary.

The core submission uses the NSPIRES:

4,000-character Proposal Summary field.

No full budget is required at this stage.

NASA requests information including:

The Step-1 proposal must be submitted by the organisation’s Authorized Organizational Representative, or AOR.

Teams therefore need to involve their institution’s research administration office early.

Register Early in NSPIRES and SAM

Organisations and participating investigators need to be registered in:

NASA NSPIRES

NASA also notes that organisations must have valid System for Award Management (SAM) registration before registering in NSPIRES.

The detailed CAN warns that SAM registration can take significant time.

This makes early institutional coordination especially important.

Do not wait until September 29 to begin organizational registration.

Team Members Must Confirm Participation

The detailed application instructions also require relevant team members to confirm participation through NSPIRES.

A proposal cannot be submitted if required team members have not completed their participation confirmation and organizational relationship requirements.

This is another reason Principal Investigators should build their team early.

Step 2: Full Proposal

Full proposals are due:

December 4, 2026.

The final call uses:

Dual-Anonymous Peer Review

or:

DAPR

for proposal evaluation.

Step 2 is split into:

Anonymous Volume A

The detailed CAN identifies major components of Volume A including:

The draft specifies a substantial 35-page Research Plan, along with three-page limits for several specialized plans.

Applicants should consult the final CAN before submission for the definitive page and format limits.

Non-Anonymous Volume B

The detailed CAN describes the non-anonymous section as containing institutional and personnel information, including areas such as:

NASA separates these materials from anonymous scientific content to protect the integrity of the dual-anonymous review.

Open Science and Data Management

SSERVI CAN-5 also places emphasis on:

Teams should therefore treat their data-management plan as a substantive component rather than an administrative afterthought.

Contribution to the Wider SSERVI Community

Selected teams are expected to contribute to the Institute beyond their own research programme.

Possible contributions may include:

The detailed CAN explicitly emphasizes that SSERVI is more than a collection of independent projects.

What NASA Will Evaluate

The final NASA announcement confirms that proposals will undergo peer review under the rules set out in the CAN.

Broad assessment considerations include:

The final call also gives strong consideration to proposals that either complement existing CAN-4 teams or address important gaps in the existing SSERVI research portfolio.

Application Timeline

The major confirmed dates for the final CAN-5 opportunity are:

Stage Date
Final CAN-5 available 2026
Step-1 proposal September 29, 2026, 11:59:59 PM EDT
Step-2 full proposal December 4, 2026
Anticipated award notification Approximately nine months after Step 2, according to the detailed CAN structure

NASA’s official final announcement confirms the September 29 and December 4 proposal deadlines.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through:

NASA NSPIRES

They cannot be submitted as applications directly through the Grants.gov synopsis.

Open the final SSERVI CAN-5 opportunity in NSPIRES

NASA’s current announcement number is:

NNH26ZDA016C

Applicants should use this number when searching NSPIRES.

For the NASA announcement explaining the final release:

Read NASA’s SSERVI CAN-5 final text announcement

Programme questions can be directed to:

HQ-SSERVI@mail.nasa.gov

NASA requests clarification questions sufficiently before the Step-2 deadline; the final announcement specifies that questions should be submitted no later than 14 calendar days before Step 2.

Tips for Preparing a Competitive SSERVI CAN-5 Proposal

1. Do Not Treat This as an Individual Research Grant

SSERVI wants a:

Multi-institutional team

with a coherent intellectual programme.

A collection of unrelated researchers and projects is unlikely to demonstrate the integration NASA is seeking.

2. Make the Artemis Connection Explicit

Explain exactly how the proposed science contributes to:

Do not assume reviewers will make the connection themselves.

3. Explain the “Mars Forward” Value Where Relevant

If your research can help future Mars exploration, explain:

A credible Moon-to-Mars logic can strengthen the proposal.

4. Build the Workforce Plan as a Real Programme

The workforce component can represent up to an average of $180,000 per year together with public-engagement activities.

Treat it as a serious programme with:

rather than a generic promise to “train students.”

5. Think Beyond Traditional Outreach

CAN-5 creates opportunities to integrate serious research with:

Teams with strong science and thoughtful engagement structures can potentially create much broader impact than through conventional outreach alone.

6. Identify the Right Institutional Lead

Because funding is primarily directed through U.S. institutions, international research groups should identify an appropriate eligible U.S. lead partner early.

The lead structure needs to be determined before Step 1.

7. Register in SAM and NSPIRES Immediately

Administrative registration can derail an otherwise strong proposal.

Confirm that:

well before September 29.

8. Protect Proposal Anonymity

NASA is using dual-anonymous peer review.

Applicants should therefore carefully remove identifying information from anonymous materials.

This includes more than simply deleting the PI’s name.

The detailed CAN cautions against revealing identity through:

9. Review Existing SSERVI Teams

NASA says proposals complementing CAN-4 teams or filling gaps in existing research coverage will receive strong consideration.

Before designing the proposal, review what SSERVI already funds.

Ask:

Key Details at a Glance

Programme: Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute Cooperative Agreement Notice-5

Abbreviation: SSERVI CAN-5

Final announcement number: NNH26ZDA016C

Agency: NASA

NASA directorates: Science Mission Directorate and Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate

Primary focus: Moon, lunar environment, Artemis and Mars-forward exploration research

Proposal model: Multi-institutional teams

Anticipated awards: Approximately 5

Indicative award level: Approximately $1.8 million annually per team

Indicative duration: 5 years

Indicative total per team: Approximately $9 million

Workforce/public engagement component: Up to an average of $180,000 per year within the total award budget

Cost sharing: Not required

Step-1 deadline: September 29, 2026 at 11:59:59 PM EDT

Step-2 deadline: December 4, 2026

Review: Dual-anonymous peer review

Submission system: NASA NSPIRES

Programme contact: HQ-SSERVI@mail.nasa.gov

Conclusion

The NASA SSERVI CAN-5 2026 funding opportunity represents a major opportunity for universities, research institutions, nonprofits, industry partners, government research organisations and other eligible U.S.-based institutions to build ambitious multi-institutional teams focused on the future of lunar and planetary exploration.

Under final solicitation NNH26ZDA016C, NASA is seeking research programmes that can advance fundamental and applied understanding of the Moon and its near-space environment while contributing directly to Artemis and future human exploration. Mars-forward research using lunar science to develop approaches relevant to Mars is also explicitly encouraged.

The detailed CAN funding structure anticipates approximately five awards at around $1.8 million per year for five years, equivalent to approximately $9 million per team over the proposed award period, subject to federal appropriations and continued funding.

A particularly distinctive element is the opportunity to dedicate up to an average of $180,000 per year within the overall budget to Workforce Development and Citizen Science, Science Activation and/or Space Apps activities.

This creates room for institutions to combine frontier research with serious investment in:

Applications use a mandatory two-stage process. Step-1 proposals are due September 29, 2026, and only Step-1 proposers can proceed to the December 4, 2026 Step-2 deadline.

For teams working in lunar science, planetary science, human exploration, workforce development or meaningful public participation in NASA science, SSERVI CAN-5 is one of the most significant NASA team-research opportunities currently open.

To know more about this opportunity, VISIT HERE.

To discover more grant opportunities, VISIT HERE.

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