Notice of European Space Agency Bed Rest and Immersion Studies Research Announcements
The European Space Agency (ESA) has released two Announcements of Opportunity (AO) soliciting human research proposals for two 60-day Bedrest, and analysis proposals for Dry Immersion Core Data.
The Bedrest AO proposes two 60-day Bedrest studies to be conducted in and . Both opportunities aim to better understand the effectiveness of different countermeasures on physiological and psychological functions that are affected during spaceflight.
The Dry Immersion AO is soliciting analysis proposals for Dry Immersion Core Data. A 5-day immersion study will be conducted to validate and better understand the dry immersion model and the physiological and psychological changes it induces.
ESA will conduct the technical peer review and make the final selection of the applications. For these Announcements of Opportunities (Bedrest and Dry Immersion) the deadline to submit a full proposal is . The preliminary steps of letter of intent, as well as the Information Workshop were not mandatory to submit an application.
While these ESA AOs are not funding opportunities, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) encourages Canadian researchers from universities and post-secondary institutions to submit proposals, either as Principal Investigator or as co-applicant to an European Investigator. Though no commitment can be made, the CSA is exploring the possibility of funding Canadian researchers whose proposals would be selected from these specific ESA AO and would meet the CSA objectives to advance knowledge on space health risks mitigation strategies and countermeasures, while contributing to improve remote medicine and health benefits here on Earth. Precursor investigations for the International Space Station (ISS) or other space research platforms are encouraged.
Important notes
This Notice is not an AO and it is not to be considered as a commitment to issue a subsequent AO. No grant agreement will be established based on this Notice. The issuance of this Notice is not to be considered in any way a commitment by the Government of Canada, nor as authority to those interested in participating to undertake any commitments that could be charged to Canada.
This Notice is subject to change. These changes will be published on the CSA website. It is recommended checking the site regularly. No question will be answered. Any question related to the ESA Opportunities should be addressed directly to ESA. Please consult their page for instructions on these announcements.