Auburn University Montgomery

Auburn University at Montgomery, a state-controlled minority-serving institution of higher learning, functions as a federal grant recipient delivering biomedical research infrastructure investment, STEM workforce development, and specialized research across basic science and engineering. AUM operates predominantly as a prime grant recipient (95% of recent awards) rather than a contractor, with grant work spanning nine distinct federal agencies over the past five years.

AUM's federal footprint centers on research capacity-building and educational initiatives. The National Science Foundation and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences are the dominant funding sources, with recent prime grants including a $554,945 Cooperative Agreement from NIGMS (CFDA 93.859, Biomedical Research and Research Training) awarded March 18, 2026, supporting institutional capacity expansion in the Office of Sponsored Programs, research compliance oversight (IBC, IACUC, IRB), and biomedical faculty mentoring through February 28, 2031. AUM also holds a $436,161 Project Grant from the USDA Rural Utilities Service (CFDA 10.855) awarded February 17, 2026, funding distance learning and telemedicine infrastructure deployment to underserved rural populations in the Montgomery area through February 17, 2028. NSF awards include a $281,875 STEM Education grant (CFDA 47.076, awarded November 1, 2024) establishing a Machine Learning Lab for AI-powered research and curriculum development, and a $598,786 Division of Undergraduate Education grant (CFDA 47.061, awarded October 1, 2022) implementing multi-tiered mentoring in introductory biology courses.

Research awards showcase AUM's biomedical science capacity. NIGMS funded a $403,640 project grant (awarded September 5, 2025, completion August 31, 2028) investigating L-asparaginase expression and biochemical characterization from naturally occurring microorganisms in the Alabama Black Belt region, with applications to acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment and food processing. NSF also awarded AUM a $149,940 Mathematical Sciences grant (CFDA 47.049, May 1, 2024 through April 30, 2027) studying topological disturbances in power grid networks using convex geometry and toric deformations. AUM holds a $249,818 NIGMS equipment grant (awarded September 1, 2025) for acquisition of a Seahorse XFE24 Metabolic Flux Analyzer supporting six faculty investigators at AUM and one at Tuskegee University across cardiovascular, cancer, adipose tissue, environmental toxicology, and immunology research.

Across the federal award portfolio (78 total awards), AUM serves 27 distinct agencies. The top customer by award count is the Department of the Air Force Air Education and Training Command (16 awards, $1.2 million combined potential value), followed by NSF (7 awards), the Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (5 awards), and the Department of the Air Force (5 awards, $2 thousand combined potential value). The combined potential value across all awards stands at $136.5 million, with $72 million obligated (53% of combined potential value). Annual award volume has varied modestly over the past five years—three awards in 2022 and 2023, two in 2024, four in 2025, and three in 2026 through April—with only three awards reaching ultimate completion in the next twenty-four months, creating minimal recompete pressure.

AUM holds a position as a named subcontractor on four awards, most recently a law enforcement training sub-award from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (April 2, 2026) and a traffic signal optimization research sub-award under a Daimler Truck North America LLC prime (January 4, 2023). Service Contract Inventory records show minimal federal service-contract activity (5 SCI records, all as named subcontractor, FY2022 reporting 15.0 FTEs), indicating that AUM's federal engagement flows predominantly through research grants and educational cooperative agreements rather than time-and-materials service contracts.

AUM is an operating division of Auburn University (UEI DMQNDJDHTDG4), a 1862 land-grant institution based in Auburn, Alabama. The parent Auburn University holds federal contracts on its own account and serves as the contracting and financial administration authority for the Montgomery campus division. AUM's strategic focus on biomedical sciences, evidenced by a 525% increase in federal grant applications since 2018 and recent occupancy of a $37 million science building, positions the institution as a capacity-building vehicle for NIH and NSF funding in the Southeast, with emphasis on strengthening research infrastructure and graduate-student training at a historically under-resourced minority-serving institution.