National Institute of Nursing Research

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), a sub-agency of the Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health, funds biomedical and health research through grants and procures research support services through contracts. NINR operates as the federal research funding and contracting office for nursing science and related health disciplines.

Contract activity at NINR remains modest. The institute has issued 1,029 total contract awards since 2007, with combined potential value of $22.6 million and $20.6 million obligated (91% execution rate). Recent volume has declined sharply: 21 awards in 2022, 29 in 2023, 23 in 2024, and only 4 awards each in 2025 and 2026 year-to-date. Eight of the last five years' 85 awards carried no reported potential value, consistent with Schedule task orders, BPA calls, or below-threshold purchases. Competitive concentration is highly fragmented by award count; the top five primes—Contemporaries, Inc., CSP Enterprises, LLC, Sterling Computers Corporation, Mpower Incorporated, and Colbert Consulting LLC—hold 27 percent of recent awards. By potential value, concentration is even more fragmented: Betah Associates, Inc. and Contemporaries, Inc. lead with $1.1 million and $639 thousand respectively, while the top five account for only 13 percent of combined recent value across 361 distinct contractors in the portfolio. Nearly all awards carry no set-aside designation (99%), with small business awards comprising the remaining 1 percent. The most recent contract award closed on 18 September 2026.

Grant activity substantially outweighs contracting. NINR has awarded 1,208 total grants since 1990, obligating $2.61 billion in federal funding (with $2.77 billion when including non-federal match). Recent grant volume is 86 awards in 2023, 99 in 2024, 56 in 2025, 54 in 2026, and 5 recorded for 2027. The Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington, Emory University, and Columbia University dominate grant activity, holding 25 percent of recent awards; these same five recipients account for only 7 percent of combined federal dollars, reflecting a highly fragmented distribution across 250 total recipients. Project Grants comprise 98 percent of all awards, with Cooperative Agreements making up the remaining 2 percent. The most recently recorded grant award carries a date of 17 February 2027.

No recent contract opportunities or grant opportunities are recorded in the source material against NINR or its descendant offices.