Lawrence Technological University

Lawrence Technological University, a Michigan-based private nonprofit research institution headquartered in Southfield, operates primarily as a federal grant recipient (92% of recent awards are prime grants) and on a single federal prime contract, competing in full-and-open categories with no set-aside designations. The university receives federal research funding across engineering, physical sciences, mathematics, and health professions domains, with recent awards spanning the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The university's federal grant portfolio centers on NSF-funded research. Recent representative grants include a $196,850 NSF Engineering Research Initiation award (CFDA 47.041, Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems) for pore-resolved computational fluid dynamics modeling of biomass gasification, awarded March 2026 with completion targeted for February 2028; a $1.998 million NSF Scholarships in STEM track-2 grant (CFDA 47.076, Division of Undergraduate Education) supporting 24 low-income STEM scholars with scholarships averaging $15,000 annually, awarded October 2025 through September 2031; and a $399,999 NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships award (CFDA 47.084) supporting the Building Institutional Capacity for External Partnerships (BICEP) consortium with Santa Clara University, Grand Valley State University, and Minnesota State University Mankato, awarded September 2024 through August 2027. Additional recent work includes a $3.25 million Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration Build to Scale grant for circular economy ecosystem development in Michigan, a $175,476 NSF Major Research Instrumentation award for functional near-infrared spectroscopy system acquisition, and a $400,000 NSF Collaborative Research grant for the Linking Vital Ecosystems (LIVE) university-industry collaboration initiative. The university also holds a $5,000 firm fixed-price purchase order from NOAA for STEM sponsorship, awarded August 2024.

Customer concentration is diffuse across federal agencies. The National Science Foundation accounts for 19 awards (the largest single-agency footprint), with the NSF Office of Integrative Activities, Division of Physics, and Division of Information and Intelligent Systems each placing 3 awards. The Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services place smaller volumes. No single customer generates more than one-third of the award portfolio by count or value.

Activity has remained moderate and stable. The past five years show 7 awards in 2022, 4 in 2023, 9 in 2024, 6 in 2025, and 3 in 2026 (partial year), with combined potential value across all 64 awards standing at $2.3 million against $42.2 million in obligated dollars—a profile reflecting the university's role as a recipient of research funding rather than a federal contractor vendor. Four awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. In its subcontractor role, Lawrence Tech performs model formulation and validation work on Eaton Corporation's Autonomous Digital Design BAA program (Phase 2, internet-of-things manufacturing systems research) and serves as a sub-recipient on grants from the National Academy of Sciences, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.