Kean University

Kean University's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Division administers federal research and education grants as a prime recipient across 42 distinct agencies, with no federal contract prime footprint but concentrated activity in STEM workforce development, educational capacity building, and basic research.

Kean is a public, minority-serving and Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) based in Union, New Jersey, with over 16,000 students and a School of Integrative Science and Technology serving approximately 2,100 students, 55% from groups underrepresented in the sciences. The division operates exclusively as a grant recipient rather than a contract prime — recent awards span 90 prime grants and 14 sub-awards across federal education, research, and workforce programs, with no presence on contract vehicles or schedules.

Recent grant work centers on three capability domains. First, STEM curriculum and workforce development: the National Science Foundation awarded $500,000 (October 2026) for developing an undergraduate CyberAI academic pathway aligned with national AI security competency standards; $2 million (October 2026) for computer science graduate scholarships supporting 30 scholars across master's and Ph.D. programs; $270,571 (October 2026) for a multisite collaborative integrating socially responsible design into undergraduate computer science curricula across four universities reaching up to 30,000 students; and $1 million from the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (February 2024) for workforce development initiatives. Second, foundational and applied research across life and biomedical sciences: the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded $488,117 (July 2026) for neuropeptide identification in earthworm models; NSF's Division of Integrative Organismal Systems awarded $455,019 (September 2025) for characterizing insect-repellent mechanisms in aspen bracket fungus with hands-on undergraduate training; and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded $234,021 (September 2025) for acquisition of a real-time cell analyzer instrument. Third, capacity building and institutional transformation: NSF awarded $2.5 million for establishing a computer science doctoral program under the CREST program (January 2025), and the Department of Justice awarded $500,000 (October 2024) to build culturally specific campus approaches addressing domestic violence and sexual assault at HSIs.

Customer concentration is diffuse across 42 agencies reflecting Kean's research-grant posture. The National Science Foundation leads by award count with 18 awards, followed by the Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education with 14 awards. The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, and other smaller agencies round out the active set. Awards per year peaked at 13 in 2024, declining to seven through October 2026. Combined potential value is understated at $20,000 against obligated dollars of $153.9 million, indicating that the majority of Kean's reported awards carry full or near-full obligation rather than ceiling values.

Sub-award activity represents 13% of the footprint, with Kean serving as a collaborative partner within larger consortia. Recent sub-award roles include participation in the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) doctoral scholars network and ethics-in-AI modules under The University of Texas at El Paso as prime; collaboration with Johns Hopkins University on caregiver employment trajectories under the HEADS Center; and participation in NSF INCLUDES Alliance work through University of Wisconsin System sub-awards examining disability program participation and gig economy effects on Social Security. Seven awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting renewal and recompete opportunity.

Kean's federal footprint is primarily educational, institutional, and grant-recipient focused rather than commercial contracting. The single federal contract award in the source — a $0 purchase order for IRS conference room reservation (May 2023, subsequently de-obligated) — is administratively nominal. Capability and organizational identity map entirely to academic research infrastructure, STEM pipeline development for underrepresented populations, and curriculum innovation at a public HSI with regional and national reach in computing, life sciences, and workforce preparation.