Open now. Applications are due September 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. NASA’s 2026-2027 Undergraduate Student Design Projects initiative invites eligible full-time faculty at ABET-accredited U.S. higher education institutions to apply through NASA STEM Gateway for project-specific undergraduate design collaborations. Nevada NASA Programs highlighted the opportunity on September 9, 2026, making it directly relevant to qualifying Nevada institutions.
Funding and program value
NASA will provide selected higher education institutions $5,000 for Prototype Design or Development projects and $3,000 for Computer Simulation projects to purchase materials required for the selected project. Theoretical Solution projects do not include funding. NASA also provides technical expertise, relevant data, structured mentorship, and virtual design reviews during the August 2026-April 2027 program period.
Eligibility
The applicant must be a full-time faculty member at an ABET-accredited U.S. university, college, or community college and must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The faculty applicant agrees to serve as the day-to-day advisor and provide appropriate lab or classroom space. The institution must provide tools and equipment needed beyond the NASA funding. NASA’s Wolf Amendment restrictions also apply as stated in the controlling announcement.
Submission requirements
Applications are submitted to the appropriate individual project entry in NASA STEM Gateway. Applicants must be registered in STEM Gateway and upload two unlocked PDF files: a current Curriculum Vitae and a Statement of Interest not exceeding two pages, using at least 11-point font and one-inch margins. The Statement of Interest must address institutional and academic-program alignment, expected student-team composition, implementation and technical approach, anticipated learning outcomes and progress monitoring, and a milestone-based completion timeline. NASA instructs applicants not to proceed beyond the Upload Supporting Documents page until the required files are successfully uploaded.
Deadline, match, allowable costs, and amendments
The exact deadline is September 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. NASA states that timeline dates are subject to change. No formal matching percentage or cost-share ratio is stated. NASA funds are for materials required to complete the selected project, while the institution must supply tools and equipment beyond the NASA funding where needed. No amendment was identified in the reviewed controlling materials as of September 11, 2026.
Nevada fit
Realistic Nevada institutional candidates include the University of Nevada, Reno and University of Nevada, Las Vegas, both of which publicly document multiple ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering or computing programs. Faculty citizenship or lawful-permanent-resident status, full-time employment status, selected-project alignment, and all applicant-controlled materials must be verified by the applicant and cannot be assumed.
One project is specifically healthcare-adjacent: NASA’s Multi-Gravity Patient Restraint System project addresses space medicine, medical evacuation, patient restraint and transport across gravity regimes, and support for medical devices including a handheld blood analyzer, mini-X-ray, vital-signs monitor, ultrasound, aspirator, and ventilator.
Atlas analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 72/100. N9+ Fit: 0/100. Dr. Miltie/QC Healthcare direct-vendor fit: 0/100. This is a legitimate and timely higher-education STEM opportunity with a healthcare-adjacent design project, but it is a small academic materials award rather than a vendor procurement, telehealth deployment, or remote-exam pathway. Fit is therefore not forced.
Official NASA source: NASA Undergraduate Student Design Projects. Nevada source: Nevada NASA Programs announcement.