Duke University

Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina, is a prestigious private research institution and tax-exempt educational entity registered in SAM.gov since February 2002. As a leading provider of advanced research and scientific innovation, Duke University's Office of Research Administration Division executes a comprehensive portfolio of federal contracts and grants that span medical research, biomedical engineering, clinical trials infrastructure, scientific research, and specialized laboratory services. The university leverages its multidisciplinary expertise and state-of-the-art research facilities to deliver cutting-edge solutions across multiple scientific disciplines in support of federal research priorities and national objectives.

Duke University has demonstrated substantial contracting capacity through a diverse portfolio of federal contracts valued from hundreds of thousands to over $14.8 million. Contract work has included tuition and fees services for military personnel, such as Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NROTC) midshipmen support and naval education funding; research services in specialized areas including Bayesian statistical modeling for flood risk management, fatigue crack propagation analysis, neuroimaging and data analytics, and RNA extraction and sequencing services. The university has provided laboratory services, regulatory science research supporting FDA missions, and participation in pre-competitive framework initiatives with industry stakeholders. Funding agencies for these contracts have included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of Naval Research, Department of the Navy, Naval Education and Training Command, Veterans Integrated Service Network 6, Food and Drug Administration, and NASA. Notable partnerships have included collaborations with the Center for Innovation, Risk, Catastrophe, and Decisions (CIRCAD) as a National Science Foundation Industry University Cooperative Research Center. All contracts examined carried no set-aside designations, reflecting competitive award processes based on Duke's technical qualifications and capabilities.

Duke University's federal grant portfolio encompasses a substantial range of research initiatives funded through the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies, with individual awards ranging from approximately $100,000 to over $30 million for cooperative agreements. The university conducts foundational and applied research spanning oncology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular health, neuroscience, aging, environmental health, and quantum computing. Specific research areas include investigation of influenza virus host factors, breast cancer metastasis mechanisms, Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and epitranscriptomic regulation, pediatric heart disease, neurological disorders, pulmonary rehabilitation for post-tuberculosis lung disease, and advanced quantum computing systems. Grant programs utilized include the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Research Manpower and Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research programs, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Cardiovascular Diseases Research program, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases research programs, the National Institute on Aging's Aging Research program, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke programs, and the National Science Foundation's Mathematical and Physical Sciences and Engineering programs. The university frequently serves as a prime grantee leading large consortia or multicenter studies, as well as a subgrantee collaborating with other research institutions, facilitating integrated research networks addressing complex scientific questions. No set-aside designations were identified in the examined grant awards, indicating competitive selection processes based on scientific merit and institutional capabilities.

Duke University maintains a single-award Indefinite Delivery Contract (IDC) with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases valued at $136,588,701 with a completion date of September 29, 2035. This contract, titled "Evaluation and Testing Services (ETS) for Vaccines and Other Biologics for Infectious Diseases - Task Areas A & C," provides comprehensive support for pediatric drug development including establishment of expert teams, development of clinical protocols, conduct of pre-clinical studies, formulation development, and execution of Phases 1-3 pediatric clinical trials as part of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) Pediatric Trials Network program. The initial task order valued at approximately $13.7 million funds core function activities with work performed in Durham, North Carolina. This IDC demonstrates Duke University's sustained capacity to manage large-scale, complex research programs involving vaccine and biologics evaluation services, positioning the institution as a critical partner in federal initiatives to advance infectious disease therapeutics and pediatric drug development. The contract structure allows for flexible task order issuance by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, enabling responsive allocation of resources to evolving federal research priorities in vaccine development and infectious disease research.