National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a component institute within the National Institutes of Health under the Department of Health and Human Services, funds research and development in neurological science through a portfolio spanning both research grants and support-service contracts. NINDS operates as the civilian federal agency responsible for funding and directing the nation's neurological research enterprise, leveraging a distributed network of academic medical centers, research universities, and commercial service providers.

NINDS awards contracts primarily for laboratory equipment, reagents, consulting services, and operational support to research programs. The contract portfolio holds 4,112 awards since 1999, with combined potential value of $941.5 million and $677 million obligated to date. Recent contract volume has declined: 240 awards in 2022, 320 in 2023, 283 in 2024, 125 in 2025, and 101 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent recorded award closed on September 29, 2026. Across the portfolio history, 975 distinct prime contractors have been awarded. The competitive structure is highly fragmented; the top five primes by award count hold only 15 percent of recent awards. Government Scientific Source Inc. leads by count with 44 awards over the last five years ($1.8 million combined potential value), followed by 10X Genomics, Inc. (40 awards, $1.6 million) and Leica Microsystems Inc. (35 awards, $3.3 million). By dollar value, concentration is even tighter at 5 percent of recent potential value; Curia Global Inc. dominates with 16 awards and $39.6 million, while the next four recipients hold substantially lower individual values. Ninety-seven percent of contract awards carry no set-aside designation; small-business set-asides account for 3 percent of awards, with Woman-Owned Small Business, 8(a), HUBZone, and HBCU/MI set-asides each representing 1 award or fewer.

NINDS grant making vastly exceeds contract activity. The grant portfolio spans 14,656 awards since 1974, with $38.48 billion in federal dollars obligated. Recent grant volume shows 1,035 awards in 2024, 816 in 2025, and 844 year-to-date in 2026. Grants are concentrated among research universities and academic medical centers; the top five recipients by award count hold 11 percent of recent grants. The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General), Johns Hopkins University, the Regents of the University of California San Francisco, the Washington University, and Columbia University collectively dominate the portfolio. By federal dollars obligated, the top five hold 4 percent of combined federal share, with Mass General leading at $433.1 million across 115 awards, followed by Johns Hopkins at $323.6 million across 128 awards. Grant assistance is predominantly Project Grants (93 percent of awards) with a smaller Cooperative Agreement component (7 percent).