Howard University

Howard University, a private historically Black research university headquartered in Washington, D.C., acts as a prime recipient on federal research grants and a prime contractor on federal service and research awards across civilian and defense agencies, competing predominantly in full-and-open designations without set-aside protection. The university received 1,681 federal awards (prime and sub combined) across the source data period, with 85 percent in a prime role, spanning research, educational services, tuition support, and specialized consulting work to federal agencies and departments.

Howard's customer base spans 186 distinct federal agencies, with concentration among civilian research funders. The National Science Foundation leads by award count (199 awards), followed by the Department of the Army (133 awards), the Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (88 awards), the Department of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (79 awards), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Shared Services Center (69 awards, $7.4 million combined potential value). By dollar value, the Department of the Air Force anchors the top tier with 67 awards and $13.2 million combined potential value, reflecting Howard's leadership role in the Air Force's $90 million Tactical Autonomy University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) consortium, established under an indefinite delivery contract running through January 2028. This UARC manages research in trust in mission autonomy, human-machine teaming, and workforce development across minority-serving institutions, with individual task orders ranging from approximately $1.5 million to $3.7 million for tactical autonomy research and development.

Howard's capability portfolio splits between research and educational services. On the research side, the university executes NSF-funded projects in quantum information science and engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning, materials science, computational biology, environmental science, and biomedical research—often with explicit focus on broadening participation among underrepresented populations. Representative NSF grants include a $700 thousand award for neuro-symbolic artificial intelligence and human-AI teaming (CFDA 47.083, Integrative Activities), a $1.065 million award for HIV drug resistance modeling (CFDA 47.083), a $549.681 thousand award for biomass-polymer interfacial adhesion (CFDA 47.083), and a $325 thousand award for secure accelerators for foundation models (CFDA 47.070, Computer and Information Science and Engineering). On the service side, Howard delivers tuition and fee support, primarily through Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery delivery orders and a Basic Ordering Agreement (N0018916GZ016) establishing a framework for future educational services through May 2036. The Navy has issued 38 task orders against that BOA totaling $3.8 million in combined potential value. Howard also manages a District of Columbia Small Business Development Center recipient role and serves as a subrecipient on cooperative agreements and research centers led by Johns Hopkins University (Howard-Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Alliance in Cancer Research, Education, and Equity), Georgetown University (clinical and translational research infrastructure), and other anchor institutions.

Federal research funding concentrates in STEM disciplines aligned with national priorities. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has funded projects on extracellular vesicle cargo sorting ($190 thousand, 2026–2030), gene essentiality prediction ($566 thousand, 2026–2029), and epitranscriptomic regulation in bacteria (FY2024–FY2029). The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has supported research on antiviral factors restricting HIV in systemic lupus erythematosus ($193 thousand, 2026–2030), Zika-induced cardiac dysfunction ($166 thousand, 2025–2029), and Helicobacter pylori–associated inflammation (FY2023–FY2028). NSF's Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Office of Integrative Activities, and Division of Environmental Biology have awarded multiyear grants for mathematical modeling in diabetes progression ($644.524 thousand, 2024–2029), sustainable composite materials from biopolymers ($551.029 thousand, 2026–2029), and freshwater fish biodiversity in the Niger Basin ($1.427 million, 2026–2030). NASA has funded planetary science research including direct Monte Carlo simulations of gravity waves in Mars and Titan atmospheres ($150 thousand, 2024–2027) and Earth system science training for minority-serving institutions ($500 thousand, 2025–2030). The Department of Defense has issued project grants for bioindustrial manufacturing research ($996.503 thousand equipment funding, 2026–2027), soil thermal behavior characterization ($779.634 thousand, 2026–2027), and acquisition of advanced analytical instruments including a Fourier Transform-Confocal Raman Microscope ($589.167 thousand, 2024–2025) and an ultra-high-speed deformation measurement system ($600.750 thousand, 2024–2025).

Education and workforce development grants reflect Howard's mission-driven focus on STEM participation among historically underrepresented populations. The Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education has awarded $3.999 million (FIPSE, CFDA 84.116) for artificial intelligence literacy integration in postsecondary curricula in partnership with Bowie State University (2026–2029), $5 million for institutional improvement initiatives ("Run to R1" program, 2024–2028), and $580.148 thousand for a Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success (2023–2026). The NSF Division of Human Resource Development has funded the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Research Experience in STEM Settings project ($499.995 thousand, 2025–2030) to train 60 K-12 educators in robotics and automation, and an HBCU undergraduate program advancing computational biology training ($400 thousand, 2024–2027). The National Institute on Aging has supported the Howard University Expanding Research in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program ($566.000 thousand, 2024–2029).

Howard's award volume declined year over year from 115 awards in FY2024 to 84 in FY2025, with 31 awards in FY2026 and only one award recorded in FY2027 as of the source snapshot date (October 15, 2026). Within the next twenty-four months, 68 awards carrying combined potential value of $28.6 million will reach ultimate completion date and face recompete exposure. On the contract side, Howard holds positions on Navy and Air Force indefinite delivery contracts and basic ordering agreements, positioning the university to respond to task order competitions for tuition, educational services, and tactical autonomy research support.

Howard operates as a prime on the vast majority of its federal work and typically builds delivery capacity through its own faculty and research staff rather than through extensive subcontracting. Service Contract Inventory data covering FY2022–FY2023 shows only three SCI-reportable records (two primes, one sub record), reflecting that most of Howard's federal activity occurs outside the SCI reporting threshold or in research grant modalities that SCI does not capture. The university subcontracts selectively; recent subcontract work includes labor and engineering services to Raytheon Company and participation in a biopolymer-soil amendments research project under Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. Howard acts as a sub-recipient on numerous grant cooperative agreements and research center awards, contributing expertise in research administration, community engagement, training and workforce development, and technical research execution to larger consortia anchored by R1 research universities and medical centers in the Washington, D.C. and regional ecosystem.

Howard University Hospital Corp, a named subsidiary, operates as a minority-owned nonprofit hospital entity supporting the university's educational and research missions.