Louisiana TECH University

Louisiana TECH University, a state-controlled institution of higher learning headquartered in Ruston, Louisiana, operates as a prime recipient of federal research grants and cooperative agreements across diverse scientific and engineering disciplines, with 89% of recent awards held as prime positions and 11% as sub-recipient roles. The university competes predominantly full-and-open across federal agencies rather than under set-aside categories, serving as the research and educational arm of the state system with parent entity Louisiana TECH Applied Research Corporation (a tax-exempt not-for-profit).

Louisiana TECH's research footprint spans fundamental science, engineering innovation, and workforce development. Recent prime grants include a $560,458 CAREER award from NSF's Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (CFDA 47.041) through September 2030 to develop advanced implantable multielectrode arrays for chronic neural monitoring, a $3.5 million congressionally-identified NIST grant through September 2026 to upgrade its Institute for Micromanufacturing with electron-beam lithography and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy systems, a $395,362 NSF Division of Physics grant through July 2028 for Large Hadron Collider jet production research and machine-learning analysis, a $788,426 USDA Cooperative Forestry Research formula grant through September 2027 involving eight faculty across forest health, timber production, and precision forestry, and a $2.972 million NSF cooperative agreement through August 2028 (with planned sub-awards to Jackson State University and University of Nevada-Reno) to develop Mobile Energy-Water Reuse Systems for disproportionately affected communities using perovskite solar cells and advanced water purification. Louisiana TECH also holds a $262,326 DoD Cyber Service Academy scholarship award through August 2030 as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, a $2 million Department of Education FIPSE grant through August 2025 for its Cyber Technology Practitioner Program, and $1.5 million in NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics funding through September 2027 for low-income undergraduate engineering students.

Customer concentration centers on research and education agencies. The National Science Foundation leads by award count with 63 awards across divisions including Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Graduate Education; the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture accounts for 25 awards; the Department of Energy holds 18 awards; and the Department of the Air Force carries 16 awards with an additional 14 through its Air Education and Training Command office. Together these five customers account for 42% of recent awards. By dollar value, the Air Force Air Education and Training Command leads the five-customer set with $403 thousand in combined potential value across 14 awards, though NSF's 63 awards and USDA NIFA's 25 awards represent the largest nominal engagement. Louisiana TECH has served 64 distinct federal agencies in recent years, indicating broad customer diversification typical of research universities.

Parent vehicles in Louisiana TECH's footprint reflect its heavy reliance on agency-specific IDIQs and direct grants rather than government-wide contract vehicles. The dominant vehicle is Indefinite Delivery Contract F0160079D0273 (Air Force), carrying 28 task orders and $433 thousand combined potential value; three additional DoD indefinite delivery contracts (N0016785C0061, DAAA2185C0172, DAAA2188C0128, DACW6384C0098) round out the contract-vehicle base, though the source does not name the vehicles' issuing offices or customer agencies placing individual task orders. Most of Louisiana TECH's federal work flows through direct grants rather than task-order vehicles, making the university less dependent on prime contract vehicles than commercial contractors.

Activity has grown substantially. Louisiana TECH reported 14 awards in 2022, declining to 9 in 2023, then expanding to 26 in 2024 and 22 in 2025, with 7 awards recorded through June 2026 (partial-year count). Twenty-one awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months with combined potential value of $149 thousand, representing a modest recompete exposure relative to the institution's overall portfolio and research-grant cadence. The university's recent award footprint shows 322 total awards (prime and sub) with $2.5 million in combined potential value but $175 million in combined dollars obligated, indicating significant execution velocity and gap between reported ceilings and real cash flow.

Louisiana TECH's sub-award role is secondary. The institution appears as a sub-recipient under prime grantees including the University of Pittsburgh (post-TBI cognitive research), Louisiana State University (multiple NSF and USDA sub-awards spanning biomass conversion, hydrogen dissociation, CO2 monitoring, and materials research), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (obesity prevention and early care education), Homeland Security & Emergency Management (life-safety generators), and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (longleaf pine restoration). Sub-award work centers on research support and curriculum development rather than prime project leadership.

Primary NAICS framing is 611310 (Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools), accounting for 32 awards; secondary categories include Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (4 awards) and Engineering Services (2 awards). PSC coding reflects the educational and research mission: Education/Training carries 30 awards, National Defense R&D Services carries 7, and Support/Program Management carries 4. The university does not maintain a commercial services posture and does not compete for professional services or IT contracts; it operates exclusively within the research and higher-education space.