Jackson State University

Jackson State University, a historically black college and university (HBCU) and minority-serving institution headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, acts as a prime recipient and prime contractor delivering research, education, and technical services to federal agencies across civilian and defense portfolios, with no set-aside designations characterizing its prime work. The university competes on merit-based criteria across full-and-open federal funding mechanisms and holds single-award indefinite-delivery contracts and basic ordering agreements with civilian agencies including the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, and the Department of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

JSU's prime contract footprint centers on research and development services spanning cardiovascular epidemiology, critical infrastructure cybersecurity, geotechnical engineering, and materials science. Representative contract work includes a $6.7 million cost-plus-no-fee delivery order awarded September 2025 by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute for the Jackson Heart Study Training and Education Center, providing technical assistance, data management, and educational programming for a longitudinal cardiovascular disease prevention initiative serving African American communities, issued under a $14.5 million single-award IDV running through 2035. JSU also delivered a $2.25 million definitive contract to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center (awarded October 2023) for critical infrastructure cyber protection research services. Additional representative work includes a $875 thousand definitive contract from the Smithsonian Institution (awarded September 2021) for digital humanities program management and a $401 thousand research grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for high-density capacitive energy storage using multi-layered polymer-2D nanofillers for space applications.

Customer concentration is heavily weighted toward research and education funding. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute commands $296.2 million in combined potential value across 14 awards—89% of JSU's entire prime contract portfolio by dollars—reflecting the university's role as the Jackson Heart Study's technical center. The Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center follows with 103 awards valued at $23.5 million, followed by the National Science Foundation (112 awards, largest by count), the Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (52 awards), and the Department of the Army (63 awards, $1.5 million potential value). These five customer agencies account for approximately 45% of recent award count and 98% of combined potential value, signaling extreme concentration risk around the NHLBI relationship.

JSU holds active positions on five primary contract vehicles. The NHLBI single-award indefinite-delivery contract ($14.5 million ceiling through September 2035) anchors the portfolio. JSU places task orders under multiple Army Corps of Engineers IDIQs: Contract W912HZ17D0003 has generated 23 task orders ($460 thousand combined value), W912HZ08D0003 has produced 22 task orders ($487 thousand combined value), DACA4203D0004 supports 21 task orders ($1.7 million), and DACW4203D0002 accounts for 17 task orders ($1.5 million). A single-award Basic Ordering Agreement with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (awarded August 2021, ultimate completion August 2026) supports research across border security, cybersecurity, disaster resilience, and first responders, with no dollar ceiling specified. A single-award Basic Ordering Agreement with the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (awarded August 2021, ultimate completion July 2031) funds tuition and educational fees with no ceiling value. These vehicles enable federal agencies to issue delivery orders and task orders without full and open competition, positioning JSU as a standing research and education provider across multiple departments.

JSU's federal grant recipient portfolio spans 737 prime awards with combined potential value of $333.3 million across 108 federal agencies. The National Science Foundation is the lead grantor by award count (112 grants) and includes projects in STEM education, materials science, quantum sensing, infrastructure resilience, and workforce development. Representative grant work includes a $999.916 million research award from the Department of Defense (April 2025) on phase transitions and ferroelectricity in two-dimensional quantum materials, a $10 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (January 2025) under the Inflation Reduction Act Urban and Community Forestry Program for ecosystem services and environmental justice initiatives in Mississippi, a $1.083 million grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (October 2025) for digital preservation and oral history archiving at the Margaret Walker Center, and a $1.5 million project grant from the Department of Education (September 2024) to develop multi-dimensional cybersecurity programs for workforce preparation. JSU also receives recurring federal support for student services and institutional strengthening, including TRIO Student Support Services grants (CFDA 84.042), Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement grants (CFDA 84.042), and Upward Bound programs.

Activity has averaged 39 to 47 awards per year over the most recent five-year period (2022–2025), with a recent slowdown to 4 awards year-to-date in 2026. Forty-six awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $2.7 million and face recompete risk. JSU's sub-award footprint is modest at 7% of the total (53 sub-awards), reflecting its primary role as a direct federal recipient. Sub-award relationships include grant partnerships with Vanderbilt University on the NSF I-Corps Mid-South Hub (entrepreneurship education and team training), the University of Southern Mississippi on NSF-funded research and NOAA workforce development initiatives, Florida International University on crime network analysis, and the University of South Carolina on NSF Convergence Accelerator projects addressing flood resilience and contaminant prediction. Sub-awards demonstrate JSU's capacity to participate in multi-institutional research consortia centered on infrastructure resilience, advanced materials, workforce development, and interdisciplinary convergence research.

JSU's capability profile across both contract and grant work emphasizes STEM research and education. Materials science research spans advanced nanocomposites, quantum materials, perovskite solar cells, chalcogenide aerogels, and biomaterials—work frequently integrated with undergraduate and graduate student training. Infrastructure and resilience research encompasses geotechnical engineering, flood modeling, levee performance assessment, soil characterization using electrical resistivity imaging, phytoremediation, and critical infrastructure cybersecurity. Workforce development includes TRIO student support services, McNair scholars programming, Upward Bound initiatives, teacher preparation support, rehabilitation counseling training, and women's business center operations. Educational research focuses on writing-to-learn pedagogy in STEM, computer science teacher professional development, and learning sciences supporting underrepresented minority student success. As a historically black institution, JSU leverages its position to serve as a research site, capacity-builder, and workforce pipeline for underrepresented populations in STEM, particularly African American and low-income students in Mississippi.

Recent activity shows JSU pursuing larger strategic research centers and convergence initiatives. Multi-year awards include the Mississippi Nano-Bio and Immunoengineering Consortium (CFDA 47.083, $960.830 thousand through July 2028) for biomaterials research across seven Mississippi institutions, the JSU-UCSB Partnership for Research and Education in Materials Science (CFDA 47.083, through August 2030) in collaboration with UC Santa Barbara's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, and the NSF Engines Development Award for Advancing Food Security and Climate Resilience (through April 2025) in partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi. These initiatives position JSU as a research node within larger multi-institutional networks, expanding its capacity beyond single-site research to regional innovation ecosystems. Grant programs emphasize NSF's Integrative Activities and HBCU-UP portfolios, the Department of Education's Postsecondary Education and Special Education programs, and National Institutes of Health mechanisms in biomedical research.