Boise State University

Boise State University, doing business as Starbucks Licensed Store, is a U.S. public research university and state-controlled institution of higher learning based in Boise, Idaho that receives federal research grants and conducts specialized scientific and analytical services as a prime recipient across 161 federal agencies, with no federal contract prime awardee status but substantial grant volume spanning life sciences, earth sciences, materials science, engineering, and education programs.

Boise State's federal footprint is almost entirely grant-based rather than procurement-driven. The university acts as prime recipient on 1,195 of its 1,325 recent awards (90%), with a recent five-year activity profile showing 89 awards in 2023, climbing to 124 in 2024, then declining to 94 in 2025, 48 in 2026, and 4 in 2027—the 2027 drop reflects incomplete year data as of the source date. Combined potential value across all awards stands at 27.7 million dollars, though obligated dollars total 822.1 million dollars, indicating substantial award backlog or multi-year funding. The university does not hold federal procurement contract vehicles (GWACs, IDIQs, or BPAs) but operates an Indefinite Delivery Contract with the Consumer Product Safety Commission for infant biomechanics research and expert witness services carrying approximately 973 thousand dollars across three task orders.

The National Science Foundation dominates Boise State's customer base by award count (259 awards), followed by NASA's Shared Services Center (122 awards, 15.3 million dollars combined potential value), the Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (51 awards), the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Idaho Region (33 awards), and the National Institutes of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences (33 awards). By potential value, NASA Shared Services Center leads with 15.3 million dollars. Recent representative grant work includes a 6 million dollar NSF E-RISE Capacity Building for Resilient Microelectronics for Extreme Environments (XTREME) award (August 2026–July 2030) investigating materials behavior under high temperature and radiation conditions in partnership with the University of Idaho, Brigham Young University–Idaho, Micron Technology, and Idaho National Laboratory; a 1.999 million dollar NSF National Research Traineeship award (September 2025–August 2030) to establish the RISE (Responsibility in Innovation and Scholarship Experience) traineeship training 25 graduate students in responsible AI research; a 1.875 million dollar NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership award (February 2026–January 2031) to operate the Idaho MEP Center delivering technical assistance, workforce training, and business growth services to Idaho's small and medium-sized manufacturers with three sub-recipient partnerships (Idaho State University, University of Idaho, and the Idaho Manufacturing Alliance); and a 16 million dollar NIH Construction Support award (September 2025–May 2030) to modernize, consolidate, and develop the Lifelong Interdisciplinary Movement, Biomechanics, and Respiration (LIMBR) Center as a national hub for multidisciplinary human movement research.

The university's research portfolio centers on geosciences (volcanic analysis, glacier dynamics, wildfire impacts, hydrogeophysics, soil and water resources), materials science and microelectronics (semiconductor research, thin-film fabrication, battery materials, metal oxides), biomedical and health sciences (biomechanics, neuroscience, cancer mechanisms, multiple sclerosis, infant safety), environmental science (wildfire mitigation, ecosystem restoration, climate adaptation), and STEM education (teacher preparation, workforce development, student success programs). Recent awards reflect strengths in NSF Earth Sciences and Materials Research programs, NASA planetary and Earth science research, and NIH biomedical initiatives. Boise State also operates as a sub-recipient on 130 awards (10% of total), including collaborative research roles with University of Idaho, University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, Montana State University, and others on NSF, NASA, and NIH programs.

Ninety-nine awards are scheduled for ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, with combined potential value of 7.5 million dollars, representing recompete opportunity for competitors and funding continuity risk for the university. The university competes in full-and-open (unrestricted) federal grant competition and does not utilize SBA set-aside designations or hold federal procurement certifications. Its federal engagement is characteristic of a comprehensive public research institution with established capacity in advanced research execution, multi-institutional partnerships, and federal compliance infrastructure rather than a federal contractor operating under procurement vehicles.