PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS

NASA scientists and engineers with knowledge and expertise in the topic area addressed in the proposal review each team's proposal.   During the Proposal Evaluation Process, each reviewer completely assesses the proposal and "scores" its contents in each of four categories: "Technical/Required Format," "Experiment Safety Evaluation," "Outreach Plan," and "Administrative Requirements." Scores assigned by reviewers are compiled and used to rank each proposal against others submitted for competition.

It is recommended that a team prepare the proposal with the review process in mind.

• The Technical section of the proposal is assigned a numerical rating and is worth 70% of the overall score.
• The Outreach section of the proposal is assigned a numerical rating and is worth 30% of the overall score.
• The Experiment Safety Evaluation section is given a safety rating ( SAFE/GO , CONDITIONAL , UNSAFE/NO-GO ) that indicates whether the experiment, as presented, is determined to be safe for ground or flight operation.
• The Administrative section is not scored per se, but failure to include prescribed items may adversely affect the ranking of the proposal when compared to other more complete submissions.

The weighted average of these evaluations constitutes an overall score, which is used to rank-order all of the proposals received. A formal review committee convenes to evaluate reviewer comments and select teams for participation based on the average numerical ranking posted by the reviewers.

Proposal Selection Criteria Tips and guidance.