Citizen science is a form of open collaboration in which individuals or organizations participate voluntarily in the scientific process. The Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP) of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) aims to support scientists and other experts to develop citizen science projects and to expand the pool of professional scientists who use citizen science techniques in their science investigations.
Four Divisions of the SMD are participating in the CSSFP: the Astrophysics Division, the Biological and Physical Sciences Division, the Heliophysics Division and the Planetary Science Division. All proposals must address one or more goal(s) or objective(s) relevant to at least one of these participating SMD divisions. The Earth Science Division is not participating; see below for information on citizen science projects related to Earth Sciences. CSSFP proposals relevant to Biological and Physical Science Research Programs must be focused on using the GeneLab and/or Physical Sciences Informatics databases.
In SMD, "Citizen Science Projects" are defined as science projects that rely on volunteers. In effective citizen science projects, scientists (subject matter experts) give feedback to and receive feedback from these volunteers. Volunteer participation is required for CSSFP funding, as is a strong science motivation of the proposed investigation. In addition, for projects that are not already open to volunteers, proposals must describe when and how projects will be made “open” to new volunteers (this step is sometimes called “launching” the citizen science project). Note that the term "citizen science" does not pertain to citizenship in any particular country, and that "citizen scientists" may include "amateur" scientists.
The CSSFP aims to incubate citizen science projects as they are being conceived or during critical transitions, like the year when they are first launched or beta tested (i.e., when the first group of volunteers is invited to try the project) or when the project changes scientific direction. CSSFP awards require relatively short proposals to encourage new proposers to experiment with citizen science techniques; the Science/Technical/Management section has a limit of 6 pages.
Deadlines:
- NOI: Oct 1, 2024
- Proposals: Nov 19, 2024