Large Proposal Policy

The NRAO encourages the submission of proposals that require significant amounts of telescope time when justified by the potential scientific payoff. Section 3 of the NRAO and GBO Users' Policy contains the policies concerning Large Proposal preparation and submission.

All Large Proposals are evaluated and ranked as part of the normal proposal review process. Science reviewers will be asked to assess the likelihood that useful scientific data products will be produced and made available within a reasonable time period.  These ranked proposals are passed to the Time Allocation Committee (TAC), along with a technical assessment of the feasibility of each proposal. The TAC will be responsible for recommending Large Proposals to NRAO. If approved, Large Proposals will generally be accepted in their entirety for the duration of the program; that is, the NRAO will commit the resources required to discharge the proposal within the constraints imposed by scheduling guidelines even though it may take multiple semesters to do so. This being the case, Large Proposals require very high ranking to be competitive.

The NRAO requires annual progress reports from all Large Proposals and reserves the right to revisit allocations made to a given Large Proposal if insufficient progress is demonstrated. See Section 5.3 of the NRAO and GBO Users' Policy for requirements for scheduling eligibility and for details on progress reports.

Approved Large Proposals will be announced as part of the NRAO Science Program. An approved Large Proposal can request financial support for students through the NRAO Student Observing Support Program. A modest amount of other funding may be allocated by NRAO to assist in the delivery of data products to the wider community.

For Large Proposals, the NRAO encourages proposers to consider releasing their data and/or data products on a shorter time scale than the awarded proprietary period.

Connect with NRAO

The NSF National Radio Astronomy Observatory and NSF Green Bank Observatory are facilities of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Founded in 1956, the NSF NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NSF NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NSF NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NSF NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (U.S. NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."

AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.