The general goal of a Regular AR Proposal is to analyze a subset of data from JWST to address a specific scientific issue. In general, the scientific questions addressed should differ from those tackled by the original programs that obtained the data. A strong justification must be given to reanalyze data if the new project has the same science goals as the original proposal. There is no limit to the amount of funding that may be requested in a Regular AR Proposal. For reference, it is expected that the majority of awards will fall under $150,000, with a median of about $75,000. However, STScI actively encourages the submission of more ambitious AR programs for which larger amounts of funding may be justified. Budget plans should be commensurate with the level of work required to carry out the goals of the proposal. Laboratory astrophysics relevant to JWST observations is an acceptable component of an archival proposal.

A Legacy AR Proposal is defined by the following characteristics:

• The project should perform a homogeneous analysis of a well-defined subset of data from JWST in MAST.
• The main goal should be to provide a homogeneous set of calibrated data and/or ancillary data products to the scientific community.
• The results of the project should enable a variety of new and important types of scientific investigations.

We encourage the development of open source community software tools for dissemination to the community.

The main difference between a Regular and a Legacy AR Proposal is that the former aims at performing a specific scientific investigation, while the latter will also create data products and/or tools for the benefit of the community. While Legacy AR Proposals will be judged primarily on the basis of scientific merit, the importance and broad applicability of the products produced by the Legacy Proposal will be key features in judging the overall scientific merit of the proposal.

It is a strict requirement for Legacy AR Proposals that the proposed data products be created and distributed to the community in a timely manner. Data products should also be delivered to STScI in a format consistent with the MAST High-Level Science products Contributions Guidelines for dissemination via MAST.

It is anticipated that Legacy AR Proposals will be larger in scope and requested funds than most Regular AR Proposals. While there is no lower limit on the requested amount of funding, it is expected that most Legacy AR Proposals will require at least $150,000, and possibly up to a few times this amount, to accomplish their goals. Commensurate with the expected scope, Legacy AR Proposals are allowed to be multi-year projects, although this is not a requirement. Multi-year projects will be funded on a yearly basis, with continued funding beyond the first year subject to a performance review. Legacy AR Proposals will be evaluated by the TAC in conjunction with Large and Treasury GO Proposals.

The ‘Scientific Justification’ section of the proposal should include a description of the scientific investigations that will be enabled by the final data products, and their importance. The ‘Analysis Plan’ section should describe the plans for data analysis, the data products that will be made available to STScI and the community, the method of dissemination, and a realistic timeline.

Next: Theory Proposals