Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
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Fermi Guest Investigator Program

A list of proposals selected through the stage-I peer-review process for Fermi Cycle-5 is posted here. The official notification letters and scientific evaluations were sent to all proposers by NASA HQ in May 2012. The stage-II (budget) proposals were solicited in June have now been evaluated. Funding of selected Cycle-5 Guest Investigations is ongoing. The process will be phased over the FY12 - FY13 boundary but all but about %10 of the will be funded in FY12.

Schedule for Fermi Cycle 5

Announcement (as part of ROSES 2011) October 31, 2011
Proposals Due January 20, 2012
Proposal Peer Review March 25-28, 2012
Stage-2 Proposal Solicitation May 2012
Final Selections Announced June 2012
Fermi Cycle 5 Begins mid August 2012

Fermi Cycle 5 Guest Investigator Program Stage 2 Proposal Submission Information

If you have been asked to submit a budget for your Cycle 5 proposal you will be required to use the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). This submission must be completed by 4:30 PM EDT on June 1, 2012.

Both you and your institution must be registered with NSPIRES. Because of the time this may take we suggest that you, register now, and if you think you are registered, check now to make sure your registration is current.

Schedule

NSPIRES website live May 10, 2012
Stage 2 budget proposal due date 4:30 pm EDT, June 1, 2012
Award Initiation (FY12 / FY13) August 2012 / December 2012
  • The NSPIRES web system provides assistance; note that the NSPIRES helpdesk is staffed 8am-6pm EST. Since NSPIRES' technical support may not be aware of the Fermi-specific aspects of Stage 2, please contact the FSSC if you receive instructions that differ from those provided here or in the letter inviting you to submit a budget.
  • Technical questions should be directed to the FSSC helpdesk.
  • Policy questions should be directed to Ilana Harrus at NASA HQ.
  • Many issues relevant to the GI program are discussed on the FSSC FAQ page.

Overview of Fermi Guest Investigator Program

The Fermi Guest Investigator Program provides funding for direct analysis of Fermi data, for supporting observations in other wavebands, for complementary theoretical studies, and more. The deadline for proposals is typically in January of each year.

Fermi PIs can propose to:

  • Analyze GBM or LAT event data from the beginning of science operations
  • Analyze higher level data released by the LAT: lightcurves of bright or transient sources; and a point source catalog.
  • Carry out pointed LAT observations. However, proposers should be aware that very strong science justifications will be required in view of the probable low additional scientific benefit of such observations see the Fermi Users' Group (FUG) analysis at http://fermi.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc/proposals/pointing_analysis/. Pointed observations will follow the same open data policy as sky survey data, i.e., they will become public immediately.
  • Support correlated observations of gamma-ray sources at other wavelengths that are directly relevant to Fermi.
  • Perform theoretical studies of gamma-ray sources.
  • Obtain observing time on the NRAO and NOAO facilities or on the Suzaku satellite in support of Fermi-related science.

Fermi proposals may be submitted by investigators at both US and non-US institutions, but only PIs or Co-Is sited at US institutions may receive funding from NASA. Proposals without any investigators sited at a US institution will be evaluated (such an evaluation may assist an investigator obtain funding from a foreign funding agency), may result in a pointed LAT observation, or may be awarded Suzaku, NRAO or NOAO observing time.

Additional Details

Fermi proposals may be submitted by investigators at both US and non-US institutions, but only PIs or Co-Is sited at US institutions may receive funding from NASA. Proposals without any investigators sited at a US institution will be evaluated (such an evaluation may assist an investigator obtain funding from a foreign funding agency), may result in a pointed LAT observation, or may be awarded Suzaku, NRAO or NOAO observing time.

Fermi's proposal process will have two Phases. In Phase 1 you will submit a cover page and a scientific justification; the cover page (generated by a webform) will include a maximum budget cap and the scientific justification should include a brief management section that describes the resources required (e.g., FTE). There is also an ARK/RPS form to summarize your proposed management plan and schedule. The page limit for this section is 4 pages for a Regular proposal, and 6 pages for a Large proposal. An additional page describing technical details of your proposed Suzaku, NRAO or NOAO observations must be added if you are applying under the 'joint proposal opportunity.' A peer review panel will review your Phase 1 proposal, and you will submit a Phase 2 budget proposal only if your Phase 1 proposal has been tentatively accepted.

Proposals should be single-spaced, typewritten, English-language text, using one or two columns, and using an easily read font size 12-point or larger, and no more than 15 characters per horizontal inch. No smaller font should be used in the subsections of the proposal, including references: however, figure captions can be in fonts as small as 10-point. In addition, the proposal shall have no more than 5.5 lines per inch of text. Pages should have at least one-inch (2.5 cm) margins on all sides.

PIs of Large (multi-year) projects approved in previous cycles must submit a progress report annually on the Phase 1 proposal due date (rather than on the anniversary of the award date). A Large project may be funded for a total of 3 years. PIs of Regular proposals that were approved for 2 years in the previous cycle need not submit a progress report for Phase 1.

As a resource to proposers list of the titles and abstracts of programs selected in previous mission cycles is available here.

The Fermi GI Process

The Fermi GI Review is typically held in the spring, and results are communicated to the Principal Investigators several weeks later. Additional interested reveiwers are always welcome. If you would like to be considered as a reviewer, please send an e-mail to the HEASARC Peer Review mailbox.

If accepted, the Principal Investigator will be notified to submit Phase 2 budget proposals through NSPIRES. Details of the submission will be provided in the proposal acceptance letter.

Documentation for Past GI Programs

Supporting Materials for Submitting Fermi Proposals