Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) received a $650,790 Project Grant from NASA's Science Mission Directorate (CFDA 43.001) awarded on May 13, 2026, with an ultimate completion date of May 12, 2028. Under this award, MIT will execute a balanced science program aligned with discipline-specific guidance from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, as well as administration priorities and Congressional direction. The institution will serve as a key partner and enabler in advancing NASA's strategic objectives, particularly Strategic Goal 1: "Expand Human Knowledge through new Scientific Discoveries." The work will be performed at MIT's Cambridge, Massachusetts facility.

The specific research focus areas under NASA's Science Mission Directorate encompass one or more of the agency's six primary domains: astrophysics research; biological and physical sciences research in space environments; Earth system science; heliophysics research; planetary science; and lunar discovery and exploration. As a premier research institution with substantial federal research infrastructure and expertise, MIT will contribute to NASA's competitive solicitations across these research domains, leveraging its capabilities in fundamental and applied research while potentially collaborating with peer research universities and national laboratories as sub-awardees to deliver the proposed scientific outcomes over the two-year project period.