Florida International University

Florida International University, doing business as Finance And Administration, is a public research university and Hispanic-Serving Institution based in Miami, Florida, that acts as a prime recipient and sub-recipient on federal grants and contracts across research, environmental science, education, and technical services. FIU does not hold a set-aside designation and competes on a full-and-open basis across its diverse portfolio.

FIU operates as a comprehensive federal research performer with substantial grant activity across the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and civilian agencies. Over the past five years (2022–2026), FIU has received approximately 2,496 total federal awards (prime and sub combined) with a combined potential value of $211.8 million and combined obligated dollars of $2.51 billion, serving 236 distinct federal agencies. The institution's customer base is concentrated in research funding: the National Science Foundation leads with 490 awards, followed by the National Institutes of Health (96 awards) and NOAA (71 awards). Activity has been stable to moderately rising—142 awards in 2022 to a peak of 214 in 2024—though 2025 and 2026 year-to-date figures reflect typical mid-year reporting and do not represent full-year activity.

FIU's concrete capability portfolio centers on environmental research, biomedical science, engineering, and workforce development. Representative recent grant work includes a $14.7 million cooperative agreement (NIDA, through September 2030) to expand the Miami Adult Studies on HIV cohort from 1,439 to 1,879 participants and conduct longitudinal epigenetic and neuroimaging analyses of cognitive frailty; a $1.29 million cost-plus-no-fee contract (Army Corps of Engineers SERDP, through November 2030) to reduce uncertainty in carbon pools and free-phase gas fluxes in peatland ecosystems; a $2.97 million cooperative agreement (Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, through February 2031) for radioactive waste processing, soil remediation, and facility decontamination research through FIU-ARC; a $9 million NSF grant (through September 2030) to maintain and enhance the AMLight international research network infrastructure supporting the Vera Rubin Observatory and U.S. science initiatives across the Americas and Africa; and a $1.42 million NHLBI grant to develop methods for ex vivo storage and rehabilitation of living heart valve allografts for pediatric transplantation. On the contract side, FIU holds a DARPA Other Transaction IDV (TIAMAT program) with a ceiling of $4.428 million and a single-award BPA with U.S. Special Operations Command valued at $608 thousand for access to the Aquarius underwater laboratory, including boat transportation, equipment rental, and subject-matter expertise support.

FIU's GSA Schedule labor portfolio spans seven categories, ranging from Functional Specialist at $53.44/hr (associate's degree, 5 years experience) through Executive/Officer at $298.37/hr (master's degree, 12 years experience). No security-cleared labor is offered. Service Contract Inventory data shows FIU invoiced $18.8 million across SCI-reportable contracts (FY2022–FY2024), with an FTE workforce oscillating between 31–39 personnel. Government-paid median hourly rates on federal services contracts run around $64.82/hr, with senior labor pricing through $160/hr at the 90th percentile.

On the sub side, FIU functions primarily as a prime recipient (90% of awards) and less frequently as a subcontractor (10%). Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, FIU subcontracts to other entities at zero average hours share, indicating it typically delivers services through its own staff rather than leaning on subs. Named subcontractors include Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies (national security campus management and R&D), Auburn University (canine detection technology development), Lockheed Martin (TIS trainer support labor), and Consolidated Nuclear Security (Y-12 and Pantex reimbursable funding). Grant sub-awards flow outbound to peer universities and research centers—including University of Florida, University of Colorado, Texas Tech, University of Illinois, Oregon State University, and others—in support of collaborative research thrusts.

Recompete risk in the next 24 months is moderate: 203 awards with ultimate completion dates falling within that window carry a combined potential value of $8.8 million. A significant number of FIU's current grants are multi-year (extending through 2028–2031), indicating stable research engagement and lower near-term recompete pressure for the largest-dollar activities. FIU's portfolio is demand-driven by agency mission priorities in science and engineering, particularly in environmental sciences, biomedical research, and infrastructure resilience, and does not follow a dominant set-aside posture. The institution's position as a large research university with minority-serving designation (63% Hispanic undergraduate enrollment, 54% female) serves as a competitive advantage in pursuing diversity-focused funding streams and cooperative agreements with federal agencies prioritizing broadened participation in STEM.