Definitive Contract 75N95026C00002

The National Institute on Drug Abuse awarded a $13.1M cost-plus-no-fee definitive contract to The University of Iowa to establish and operate the NIH NeuroBank Brain and Tissue Repository (NBB), a collection site for acquiring, processing, storing, curating, preserving, and distributing central nervous system tissues and related materials for neurological, psychiatric, and neurodevelopmental disorder research. The contract, which commenced November 1, 2025 and extends through October 31, 2030, was awarded under full and open competition through solicitation 75N95024R00124. The University of Iowa will be responsible for acquiring brain tissue from deceased donors with diverse neurological, neuropsychiatric, and neurodevelopmental conditions as well as control subjects, ensuring demographic diversity across race, ethnicity, and age. The contractor must maintain detailed inventory documentation through the NIH NeuroBank Portal and adhere to tissue-sharing guidelines established by the National Institutes of Health.

Under the contract's five-year performance period, the University of Iowa is expected to acquire a minimum of 70 donors annually, with potential processing capacity up to 150 unique donors per year, supporting the broader initiative to increase tissue availability for federally-funded research. This award was coordinated with multiple NIH institutes and centers, including the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, and National Institute on Aging, as part of the Blueprint for Neuroscience program. No set-aside designation applies to this contract, and the award reflects the university's established capability in federal research partnerships and biomedical services delivery. The contract is classified under NAICS code 541714 (Research and Development in Biotechnology).