Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University's Office of Sponsored Programs & Research, operating as CSU, is a U.S. state government institution of higher learning headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio that receives and administers federal research grants and participates in contract research as a prime recipient and occasional subrecipient. CSU competes on a full-and-open basis without set-asides, reflecting its status as an established research university.

CSU's federal footprint centers on basic and applied research across STEM and social science domains. The institution serves as prime recipient on 470 awards (90% of recent activity) spanning biomedical sciences, materials engineering, environmental research, K-12 and higher education innovation, and workforce development. Representative recent prime work includes a $718,216 grant from NASA's Shared Services Center for advanced materials and environmental monitoring research (award date August 2025, completion July 2028); a $500,000 NSF Engineering grant for bioprinted tissue scaffolds with Schwann cell density gradients for peripheral nerve regeneration (awarded January 2025, completion December 2027); a $1.47 million Department of Education grant for the Seminars in American Civics initiative providing professional development to K-12 educators (awarded October 2025, completion September 2026); and a $1.247 million Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education grant for developing modeling and simulation-based multidisciplinary learning environments for urban universities (awarded January 2023, completion December 2025). CSU also holds a $793,760 Department of Education TRIO Student Support Services grant focused on enhancing retention and graduation rates for disadvantaged postsecondary students (awarded September 2025, completion August 2026).

Customer concentration is distributed across a broad federal research and education ecosystem. The National Science Foundation leads by award count with 68 awards, followed by NASA Glenn Research Center with 40 awards totaling $41.3 million in combined potential value, and NASA's Shared Services Center with 25 awards valued at $4.2 million. The Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education has placed 23 awards, and the National Institutes of Health accounts for 13. Together these five agencies cover 32 percent of recent awards. By dollar concentration, NASA Glenn ($41.3 million) and the Shared Services Center ($4.2 million) dominate, reflecting CSU's established role in remote sensing, Great Lakes water quality and harmful algal bloom research, and space-related materials science. NSF's award volume does not translate to comparable dollar concentration, indicating smaller average grant values in its portfolios.

CSU participates in multiple parent vehicles and collaborative networks. The institution holds seat(s) on Indefinite Delivery Contracts F0160003D0009 (7 task orders, $13 thousand combined potential value), NNC07BA14B (5 task orders, $2.9 million), and HQ003419D0003 (2 task orders), primarily channeling space and defense research. The institution serves as a research training hub in the Cleveland biomedical ecosystem, operating as a principal component of the Cleveland REseArch Training nEtwork (CREATE) Scientists in KUH, uniting six institutions including Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, the VA, MetroHealth Medical Center, and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.

Activity has held steady at 26–30 awards annually over the past five years, with 2026 showing 10 awards to date as of the snapshot. The institutional portfolio carries $200.7 million in combined potential value with $306.1 million in combined dollars obligated (153% of potential, reflecting multi-year commitments and prior-year invoicing). Thirty-one awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, totaling $1.7 million in potential value and presenting modest recompete opportunity.

CSU's subcontract role (55 awards, 10% of recent activity) positions it as a research contributor on larger grants led by peer research universities and medical institutions. Named primes include Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Michigan State University, Texas Tech University System, Northeastern University, and Florida A&M University. Sub-awards typically involve specialized technical services—mass spectrometry and chemical synthesis (Cleveland Clinic projects), biophysical measurements and molecular modeling (CWRU collaborations), computational modeling and machine learning (University of Kentucky, University of Wisconsin System), and evaluation and research services (county and state education agencies). CSU's sub-engagement reflects its strength in analytical chemistry, biomedical engineering, computational science, and program evaluation within regional and national research consortia.

The research portfolio spans five broad categories. Environmental and Great Lakes research emphasizes remote sensing, harmful algal bloom prediction, water quality monitoring, and urban forestry—work performed primarily for NASA and NSF. Biomedical and regenerative medicine research focuses on tissue engineering, neural regeneration, cardiac disease mechanisms, and infectious disease—funded primarily by NIH institutes. Engineering research addresses materials science, computational systems, cybersecurity, and rehabilitation technology—split between NSF and DoD. Education and workforce development includes K-12 STEM outreach, teacher professional development, undergraduate research experiences (REU sites), graduate training networks, and first-generation student support—funded across NSF, Education, and NIH. Climate and energy systems research examines urban microclimate dynamics, renewable energy, thermodynamic optimization, and air quality—primarily NSF.

Collectively, NAICS concentration shows Educational Support Services (27 awards), Professional and Management Development Training (16 awards), Colleges/Universities/Professional Schools (14 awards), and Research and Development in Physical/Engineering/Life Sciences (7 awards) as the top categories. PSC concentration aligns: Space R&D Services (40 awards), Education/Training curricula (31 combined awards), and Science R&D (14 awards). CSU operates as a comprehensive research institution and federal grant recipient without reliance on contracts vehicles, set-asides, or prime contract teaming—positioning it as a direct federal customer for education, research, and workforce development mission areas rather than as a vendor operating under procurement vehicles.