Florida Atlantic University

Florida Atlantic University, a public research institution and Hispanic-Serving Institution headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, operates as a prime recipient of federal research grants and, to a lesser extent, as a subcontractor to larger research universities on collaborative projects. The university competes exclusively in full-and-open procurement, holding no set-aside designations.

The university's federal footprint spans 1,006 recent awards across 132 agencies, with a combined potential value of $44.8 million and obligated dollars reaching $801.9 million—reflecting substantial multi-year research commitments. The portfolio is dominated by federal research grants rather than contracts; the National Science Foundation leads with 130 awards, followed by the Department of the Navy (69 awards) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (50 awards, $421 thousand combined potential value). By dollar value, the Office of Naval Research anchors the portfolio with 18 awards worth $21 million combined potential, while NASA's Shared Services Center has 19 awards valued at $4.4 million. The Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health, despite ranking fifth by award count, represents significant grant opportunity—36 awards spanning biomedical, neuroscience, and aging research.

FAU's research portfolio centers on marine sciences, biomedical research, advanced technologies, and environmental studies. Representative work includes a $9.7 million Office of Naval Research contract for next-generation sensor systems for oceanic bioluminescence assessments (Phase II, completion October 2027); a $3.239 million Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant for substance use prevention targeting at-risk youth in South Florida (Rising Strong, completion September 2030); a $720 thousand EPA-funded project integrating genetics into sponge restoration in South Florida Bay (completion May 2030); and a $500 thousand Department of Energy grant for undergraduate design projects in wave and current energy conversion (completion September 2029). The university also operates the Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center under cooperative agreements with the Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office, supporting marine energy industry advancement through R&D, training, and infrastructure.

Recent grant activity shows fluctuation—48 awards in 2023, accelerating to 88 in 2024, declining to 63 in 2025, and 40 in 2026—with 62 awards (combined potential value $10.8 million) reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. FAU holds a Basic Ordering Agreement with the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery running through April 2036 for educational services; this vehicle has generated 20 task orders valued at $1 million combined. The university also participates in an Other Transaction IDV with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge, ceiling $1.012 million) focused on undersea communications and autonomy.

In its subcontractor role, FAU delivers research support to universities including the University of Hawaii (Rapid Resilient Reefs for Coastal Defense), Brown University (antibody screening and library de-convolution), and the Trustees of Columbia University (engineering research center participation on Smart Streetscapes). As subrecipient, the university contributes expertise in coral restoration genetics, aquaculture, urban flood resilience modeling, and interdisciplinary environmental monitoring.

Service Contract Inventory data shows minimal federal services revenue in the traditional sense—$87 thousand reported invoicing in FY2024 across 1.0 FTE on one prime contract, with a government-paid rate of approximately $39.80/hr. This reflects FAU's orientation toward research grants and cooperative agreements rather than labor-intensive service contracts. The university operates as a prime on the vast majority of its awards (85% prime, 15% sub), delivering research and education rather than serving as a feeder to larger contractors.

FAU's recompete exposure centers on grants reaching completion in fiscal years 2025–2027, particularly ONR sensor research, marine restoration projects, NOAA water quality initiatives, and NSF-funded educational programs across STEM, cybersecurity, and interdisciplinary domains. The university's Hispanic-Serving Institution designation and established track record in marine sciences, biomedical research, and coastal resilience position it competitively for federal research funding aligned with environmental, health, and technology priorities.