About this Article

 Mercedes López-Morales (mlopez-morales[at]stsci.edu)

Published August 13, 2026

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) continues to advance our understanding of the universe as it enters its fifth year of regular science observations. Transformational science, from studies of small objects in the solar system to large-scale cosmology, is being accomplished by programs using the full range of instrument modes, and a wide range of time allocations — from a few to a few hundred hours. 

Given the ongoing unprecedented data quality and anticipated excelling capacity of both the telescope and its instruments for years to come, the time is right to explore JWST science that requires time allocations exceeding those currently allocated to large programs.

With this goal in mind, STScI calls the user community to submit white papers with ideas for JWST Multi-Cycle Treasury (MCT) programs covering any science topic. The white should describe compelling science ideas that can only be accomplished with amounts of telescope time larger than those typically approved by the regular Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC) process, which is about 300 hours. White papers outlining concerns about the potential establishment of JWST MCT programs may also be submitted.

A summary of JWST’s current capabilities is in this Pocket Guide. You may also reference new modes and instrument updates for Cycle 6.

White papers should be no more than 5 pages (11-point font or larger, excluding references) and submitted as a PDF. Each PDF should contain a title, list of co-authors, abstract, scientific justification, and estimated observing time required. 

White papers received by Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at midnight Eastern Time will be reviewed by experts from the community, who will evaluate the scientific merit of the submitted concepts and justification of the estimated amount of telescope time. Evaluations will be confidential, and help STScI and the JWST Project Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) determine if a call for JWST MCT program proposals is warranted at this time.

White Papers and Dual Anonymous Peer Reviews

STScI has received concerns from the community about how white paper authorship might impact the Dual Anonymous Peer Review (DAPR) process. It is important to keep in mind that the goal of DAPR is to enable the TAC to focus on proposed future science cases without text citations of the proposal team. The goal is not to make it impossible to guess the authors.

Before DAPR was implemented, investigation showed that reviewers spent around half the time discussing who was on a proposal, and their abilities, rather than the proposed new science. Under DAPR, not only is the investigator list not available to reviewers, textual references to the team and reviewer discussion of the team are also forbidden. This limits the potential for bias, even if individual reviewers may feel that they can guess who is involved in a proposal.

We encourage the community to collaborate broadly in developing white papers in response to this call. The list of co-authors will be known to a limited number of STScI staff (for reference) but will not be made available to reviewers. STScI will not publish the white papers. The white paper team is free to publish, but in that case they must observe the following restrictions:

1. The white paper must not be cited in any subsequent proposal.
2. Substantial extracts from the white paper may not be included in any subsequent proposal.

White papers will be reviewed to assess the broad cases for science programs that demand the level of resources consistent with a Multi-Cycle Proposal. If STScI decides to implement the process, we will issue a general call for proposals, without highlighting any specific science areas.

White papers are not required to follow dual anonymous protocols. However, if STScI goes ahead with a Call for Proposals, those submitted proposals must be compliant with all DAPR requirements.

Please contact the JWST Help Desk with any questions or issues.