Montana State University

Montana State University's Office of Sponsored Programs, operating as a U.S. government entity and state-controlled institution of higher learning, acts as a prime recipient of federal grants and prime contractor on federal research and development awards spanning space science, agricultural innovation, biomedical research, and STEM engagement. The university competes predominantly full-and-open across civilian agencies and does not operate under set-aside designations.

The institution manages a sprawling federal research footprint: 2,527 prime awards and 248 sub-awards totaling 2,775 federal transactions across 212 distinct customer agencies, with combined potential value of $336.9 million and obligated dollars reaching $2.23 billion. Activity declined from 184 awards in 2024 to 118 in 2025 and 42 through mid-2026, suggesting either a recent portfolio contraction or a data collection lag. Within the next twenty-four months, 168 awards (combined potential value $23.1 million) reach ultimate completion, creating recompete exposure across the university's research enterprise.

National Science Foundation and the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) anchor the customer base by volume—339 and 336 awards respectively—while NASA's Shared Services Center leads by potential value at $73.6 million across 280 awards. Recent prime awards exemplify the scope: a $31.5 million definitive contract with Air Force Research Laboratory (July 2025) to expand quantum entanglement testing capabilities at the Applied Quantum Capacity and Operational Resilience and Regional Equity (Q-CORE) facility; a $10.81 million cooperative agreement as Western SARE Regional Host Institution administering a competitive grants program for sustainable agriculture across western states; a $2.144 million Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Phase 1 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences establishing the Center for Advanced Molecular Pathogenesis; and a $3.9 million Hatch Act formula grant to the College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station for agricultural research on water use, food production security, and resource-constrained productivity.

Representative grant work reflects the university's research depth across federal agencies. NIFA has funded projects including a $590,962 grant on automated bacterial detection and removal in hydroponic farming systems, a $500,000 grant on durum wheat variety development for Montana's semi-arid conditions, a $225,000 award on natural chemical defenses in algae for pest management, and a $796,000 grant on bovine organoids for avian influenza research in dairy cattle. NSF support includes a $455,854 Physics Division grant on cavity-coupled neutral atom qubits for quantum computing (August 2025), a $399,930 STEM Education award on incorporating indigenous knowledge into engineering curriculum (September 2024), and multiple CAREER awards in physics, fluid mechanics, and ecology. NASA has funded $750,000 for STEM engagement through the Montana Space Grant Consortium, $341,725 for eclipse balloon research combining high-altitude imaging and atmospheric science, and multiple science mission directorate grants totaling hundreds of thousands for lunar-Mars exploration research and balanced science programs. The Department of Defense sponsors quantum technology, biomedical research, and counterintelligence-related work through AFRL and Army Research Development and Engineering Command channels.

The university's teaming profile is asymmetric: as a 91%-prime operation, MSU rarely subcontracts but frequently serves as sub-recipient on larger prime awards. Notable prime contractors employing MSU as a sub include Leidos (National Homeland Research Center services), HRL Laboratories (AI code analysis for cybersecurity), and the University of Montana (collaborative research on vaccine development and rural mental health). Conversely, MSU subcontracts to peer research institutions—University of Washington (Institute of Translational Health Sciences partnership recurring across multiple sub-awards), Oregon State University (NANOGrav Physics Frontiers Center), Colorado State University (regional meat team coordination, adaptive training research), and Cornell University (biofilm and hempcrete research). The university functions primarily as a subrecipient on federal grant research rather than as a subcontractor on defense or commercial prime contracts.

SCI-reportable invoicing on federal services contracts is minimal and recent: $0 in FY2022, $813 thousand in FY2023, and $4 million in FY2024 across a growing workforce averaging 3.1 FTEs in FY2023 and 13.4 FTEs in FY2024. Government-paid rates on SCI-reportable work span $88/hr (10th percentile) to $226/hr (90th percentile), with a median of $130/hr, reflecting a mix of graduate research assistants and faculty labor. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, subcontractors represented 12% of total hours, with four named subs identified. This narrow SCI footprint reflects the university's primary federal role as a research grant recipient rather than a service contractor.

Montana State University operates as a multi-disciplinary research institution receiving federal funding across space exploration, quantum technologies, agricultural systems, biomedical sciences, environmental monitoring, workforce development, and STEM engagement. The institution brings land-grant research infrastructure including the cryo-electron microscopy center, Montana Nanotechnology Facility, Q-CORE quantum testbed, and BSL-3 laboratory capability. Headquarters in Bozeman, Montana; performance occurs across campus facilities, field sites in Yellowstone, Glacier, and other national parks, the Gallatin Range, and research centers across Montana.