Center for Scientfic Review

The National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review, a sub-agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, administers the peer-review system that evaluates and prioritizes research grant applications across the NIH portfolio. The Center for Scientific Review itself transacts primarily through contracts for meeting logistics, travel, and operational support rather than through research funding; grant-making authority resides with the twenty-seven NIH institutes and centers that fund the underlying research programs.

The Center has awarded 5,474 contracts since 2007, with combined potential value of $180.5 million and $164.8 million obligated. Recent contract activity has been volatile: 153 awards in 2022, 321 in 2023, 362 in 2024, 75 in 2025, and 12 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent award closed on September 11, 2026. About 9 percent of recent awards carry no reported potential value, indicating heavy reliance on Schedule task orders, BPA calls, modifications, or below-threshold purchase orders.

Travel Concepts Inc. dominates the competitive landscape by both award count and dollar value, holding 96 awards worth $9.2 million over the last five years. The top five primes by award count collectively represent 42 percent of recent awards, but their concentration by dollar value is highly fragmented—the top five by potential value account for only 9 percent of combined recent value. Travel Concepts is followed distantly by New TECH Solutions, Inc. ($2.6 million, 18 awards) and En-Net Services, L.L.C. ($1.8 million, 13 awards) when ranked by dollar value; other primes in the top count position (BLT Fund9 Bethesdan, LLC at 94 awards, PNR Hotel Xxvi Owner LLC at 70 awards) carry far lower dollar ceilings. The 353 distinct primes in the portfolio reflect heavy fragmentation driven by hospitality and travel vendors serving temporary event and operational needs.

Ninety-nine percent of awards carry no set-aside designation; small business holds only 1 percent of awards, with negligible 8(a) sole-source and EDWOSB sole-source activity.

The Center for Scientific Review does not directly fund research grants; research funding flows from individual NIH institutes and centers through their own solicitation mechanisms. No recent grant opportunities or grant award activity is recorded against the Center for Scientific Review itself.