Arkansas TECH University

Arkansas Tech University, a state-controlled institution of higher learning based in Russellville, Arkansas, acts as a prime recipient of federal grant funding for undergraduate STEM scholarships, student support services, workforce development programs, and research infrastructure modernization, with secondary grant sub-award activity in collaborative biomedical research and environmental assessment partnerships. The university does not hold federal contracts and competes as a grant recipient under full-and-open processes without SBA set-aside designations.

The Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education dominates the customer concentration, accounting for 28 awards (38% of total volume) across multiple program tracks. Federal grant activity spans the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program (CFDA 47.076), TRIO Student Support Services (CFDA 84.042), Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (CFDA 84.116), Upward Bound (CFDA 84.047), Veterans Upward Bound, GEAR UP, and Child Care Access Means Parents in School programs. Recent representative prime grants include a $2 million National Science Foundation S-STEM award (July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2032) funding scholarships averaging $7,000 for 40 high-achieving low-income undergraduates in computer science, cybersecurity, mathematics, physics, and engineering disciplines, with faculty mentoring and internship pathways; three separate TRIO Student Support Services grants of $272,364 each awarded September 1, 2025, serving disadvantaged students at the Russellville and Ozark campuses through academic advising and financial literacy programming; a $730,000 Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education grant (June 1, 2023, through May 31, 2026) for agricultural learning laboratory modernization; and a collaborative $2 million Education Stabilization Fund award (July 13, 2022, through July 12, 2023) for COVID-19 pandemic response support.

Arkansas Tech also participates as a sub-recipient in environmental research collaborations. The Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center funded a cooperative agreement for interior least tern monitoring on the McClellan Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (awarded September 18, 2025, completing September 17, 2026). The university serves as a sub-recipient under the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences on biomedical research partnerships (two sub-awards dated December 10, 2025, and September 16, 2025) and under the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on species assessment projects addressing Western Chicken Turtle and Rocky Shiner populations (October 1, 2024, and July 1, 2024).

Activity volume shows volatility: ten awards in 2022, two in 2023, four in 2024, six in 2025, and one in 2026. Combined obligated dollars across all seventy-three prime and sub awards total $78.5 million, though reported combined potential value carries a data-quality flag (stated as $219 thousand, which appears inconsistent with obligated totals). Three awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating recompete exposure in student support and infrastructure modernization tracks. Top secondary customer agencies include the Federal Emergency Management Agency Preparedness Section (nine awards, $22 thousand combined potential value), the Department of Agriculture Forest Service R8-Southern Region (three awards, $42 thousand combined potential value), and the Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works (one award, $104 thousand combined potential value). The university's award portfolio concentrates in Educational Support Services (NAICS 61) and falls within Education/Training and Special Studies/Analysis PSC categories, reflecting its institutional mission as a teaching and research institution rather than federal contractor.