Marshall University Research Corporation

Marshall University Research Corporation, a tax-exempt non-profit research organization affiliated with Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, serves federal agencies as a prime contractor and grant recipient across biomedical research, environmental science, geotechnical engineering, and workforce development—competing on full-and-open basis with no set-aside designations across a diverse federal customer base.

MURC operates as a pure prime actor across both contract and grant work (75% of recent awards), with minimal subcontracting role (25% of awards as sub-recipient or contract sub). As a non-profit educational institution, MURC competes at federal contract level without set-aside protections, positioning itself against mainstream federal contractors. The organization holds two Indefinite Delivery Contracts: a $443.688 thousand single-award IDC with the Department of Veterans Affairs for animal per diem services (ultimate completion September 2026), and a $2.05 million Other Transaction IDV with the Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center for research and technical assistance across multiple scientific domains (awarded January 2024). Task order activity under these vehicles remains modest, with the VA IDC generating seven delivery orders totaling approximately $278.734 thousand through December 2024.

MURC's customer concentration is highly fragmented across 112 distinct federal agencies. The top five by award count—SAMHSA (40 awards), Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District (38 awards), National Science Foundation (34 awards), Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (32 awards), and Appalachian Regional Commission (28 awards)—account for 30% of all awards. When ranked by potential value, the Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center anchors the portfolio at $16.6 million across ten contracts. The divergence between volume and dollar rankings reflects MURC's mixed profile: high volume of small grants and cooperative agreements alongside several high-value engineering research contracts. Recent prime contract work includes a $1.5 million Army Corps of Engineers definitive contract for physics-based investigation of wave propagation in elastic media and seismic analysis (awarded August 2025, completion August 2028), a $2.99 million definitive contract for subterranean threat detection research (awarded February 2024), and a $3.05 million research infrastructure contract for advanced detection capabilities in hard rock environments (awarded October 2022, completion December 2026). Animal per diem services to the VA represent a recurring revenue stream across multiple small delivery orders ($2.1 thousand to $97 thousand each).

MURC's grant footprint is substantial and diverse. Recent recipients awards span the National Science Foundation (STEM education, mathematics research, astrophysics, chemistry, engineering REU sites, environmental biology), National Institutes of Health (cardiovascular disease, addiction research, neuroscience), Department of Education (cybersecurity education, STEM workforce development), Department of Energy (clean energy, aerosol jet printing), Department of Transportation (commercial driver's license system modernization), Appalachian Regional Commission (workforce training, economic development), and specialized agencies including the Mine Safety and Health Administration, National Endowment for the Arts, and Bureau of Justice Assistance. Representative recent awards include a $974.602 thousand National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant on sodium pump and thrombosis (awarded August 2025, completion May 2029), a $603.619 thousand Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration grant for CDL system modernization (September 2024, completion September 2028), a $1.499 million Department of Education grant for the WV Cyber Security Center (awarded September 2024, completion August 2027), and a $568.797 thousand National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry award on recyclable catalysts through chirality-directed self-assembly (awarded August 2025, completion July 2029). MURC also acts as a grant sub-recipient to state agencies (West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia Department of Human Services) and universities (West Virginia University, University of Missouri System, Utah State University) across behavioral health, environmental, and STEM research portfolios.

Activity has grown modestly year-over-year with 53 awards in 2022 climbing to 77 in 2024 before declining to 70 in 2025 (nine awards recorded through June 2026). Forty-eight awards totaling $6.8 million in combined potential value reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating substantial recompete exposure. The largest near-term recompete is concentrated in the Army Corps of Engineers portfolio, where multiple research contracts run through 2027 and 2028.

SCI-reportable invoicing (federal service contracts above $150 thousand threshold, excluding goods and classified work) totaled $1.8 million in FY2022 and $3.7 million in FY2023, with a median government-paid hourly rate of $436.81/hr (range $228.19/hr to $733.62/hr). SCI records show roughly 1.1 FTEs delivered in FY2022 and 1.1 FTEs in FY2023, though these represent a strict subset of federal services activity captured in the Service Contract Inventory and do not reflect MURC's total federal or enterprise revenue. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, subcontractors performed an average 43% of total contractor hours, with three named subcontractors in the SCI dataset. MURC's own federal footprint is driven by grants rather than large service contracts, making SCI a narrow window on the organization's federal profile.

Capability alignment centers on research delivery across engineering, environmental science, biomedical investigation, and specialized services including animal husbandry, forensic analysis, and workforce training. The organization leverages Marshall University's academic infrastructure to compete for R&D work in geotechnical engineering, seismic analysis, materials science, and health services research. MURC does not occupy federal contract vehicles beyond its two IDCs and operates without teaming relationships visible in the source material. Recent sub-award work routed through university and state prime recipients spans environmental health, behavioral health service delivery, and collaborative research partnerships. As a tax-exempt educational research entity without SBA certifications, MURC's competitive posture relies on demonstrated technical capability, institutional affiliation, and willingness to bid full-and-open across civilian and defense agencies.