Old Dominion University Research Foundation

Old Dominion University Research Foundation (doing business as Odurf), a tax-exempt nonprofit research organization affiliated with Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, serves as a prime recipient of federal grants and purchase orders across broad STEM research, STEM education, and workforce development domains, with emerging exposure to federal service contracts. Odurf operates exclusively as a grant recipient and prime contractor on purchase orders; it does not compete for set-aside contracts and operates in full-and-open federal procurement, receiving funding from 149 distinct federal agencies over recent years.

Odurf's portfolio spans fundamental and applied research across oceanography, physics, biochemistry, materials science, computer science, and engineering, alongside significant STEM education and workforce training programming. Representative work includes a $3.41 million NASA cooperative agreement for STEM engagement and workforce development through NASA Strategic Goal 4 (awarded April 2025, running through April 2029); a $2.5 million NSF Scholarship for Service grant for cybersecurity and artificial intelligence training (July 2026, running through June 2029); a $1.12 million NOAA research grant for blue carbon observatory development in the Chesapeake Bay region examining submerged aquatic vegetation and carbon sequestration (January 2025 through December 2027); and a $978,438 NSF Biological Sciences grant on animal oxidase and internal water production spanning August 2026 through August 2031. Contract work includes a $246,201 Federal Highway Administration purchase order for a multi-phase study on crash modification factors (October 2026, completion September 2028). Recent grant recipients supporting entrepreneurship and workforce development include $520,000 from the SBA Veterans Outreach Program (May 2025) and $150,000 from the SBA Women's Business Ownership Assistance program for Women's Business Center operations (June 2025).

Customer concentration reflects a research-heavy federal portfolio. The top five funding agencies by award count account for 43% of recent awards and include the National Science Foundation (294 awards), NASA Shared Services Center (121 awards, $46 million combined potential value), the Department of the Navy (112 awards), and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (66 awards, $67.6 million combined potential value). The top five by combined potential value account for 53% of dollars and shift emphasis toward DoD: the Office of the Secretary of Defense ($67.6 million across 66 awards), NASA Shared Services Center ($46 million across 121 awards), and Navy organizations ($31 million across 33 awards in the Navy Secretary/CNO office). NSF dominates award volume and breadth across disciplines; Navy and DoD anchor the largest single awards. Place of performance is consistently Norfolk, Virginia, with some work conducted at partner institutions and federal laboratories including Jefferson Lab.

Odurf places task orders under five major Navy Indefinite Delivery Contracts, the largest being IDC N0018908DZ052 (69 task orders, $18 million combined potential value), reflecting sustained prime positioning on Navy operational support and research platforms. The organization also receives direct awards across NSF divisions (Mathematical Sciences, Engineering, Graduate Education, Geosciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Ocean Sciences, and Polar Programs), NIH institutes and centers, NIST, NOAA, the SBA, the Department of Energy, the Defense Health Agency, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Naval Education and Training Command. Most awards carry no set-aside designation and reflect Odurf's status as a research foundation competing in full-and-open federal research and education opportunities.

Recent federal grant activity shows sustained growth through 2025 (81 awards), with 41 awards recorded in 2026 and 1 award in 2027, reflecting timing of award announcements and reporting lags in the source. Forty-five awards (combined potential value $2.9 million) face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing modest recompete exposure in the near term. Odurf's strongest recompete risks center on NASA cooperative agreements, NSF grants, and Navy IDC task orders, where renewal competitions occur on staggered cycles.

The Service Contract Inventory dataset captures minimal Odurf activity: SCI reports 6 records (1 prime, 5 sub) across FY2022–FY2025 with zero invoiced revenue as a prime and 7.4 FTEs recorded in FY2025 under sub-roles. This reflects Odurf's positioning as a research grant recipient and purchase-order prime rather than as a federal service contractor subject to SCI reporting thresholds. The organization does not maintain a profile as a federal services provider under the SCI framework; its federal revenue derives from research grants, cooperative agreements, and occasional purchase orders for studies and equipment.

Odurf functions as a prime recipient with direct federal grants and purchase orders and rarely subcontracts. Sub-award activity is limited and consists primarily of pass-through grants to academic collaborators, community colleges, and nonprofit partners at other institutions (e.g., Virginia Commonwealth University, East Carolina University, Hampton University, George Mason University, University of Pennsylvania) in support of collaborative research, workforce training, and educational initiatives. Odurf does not operate as a feeder to larger prime contractors; it competes directly for federal research funding as an academic institution affiliate and wins awards on institutional capacity and researcher reputation.