Portland State University

Portland State University, a public research institution and state government entity headquartered in Portland, Oregon, acts as a prime recipient of federal grants and research funding across scientific, engineering, environmental, and educational domains. PSU competes for and wins research grants in full-and-open competition (no set-aside designations); the university's recent footprint reflects 1,369 prime awards (91% of total) and 136 sub-awards (9%) spanning 176 distinct customer agencies, with combined potential value of $42.1 million across 1,505 awards recorded in the source data.

PSU's capability portfolio centers on federally funded research in atmospheric science, marine biology, geosciences, environmental monitoring and restoration, materials science, cybersecurity education, and social sciences. Recent representative work includes a $1.02 million NSF Division of Environmental Biology grant (September 2026) to discover and characterize cruciviruses and their eukaryotic host microorganisms in environmental samples, advancing understanding of virus evolution and pandemic prediction; a $723.786 million NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems grant (August 2025) investigating how nitrogen-fixing Frankia bacteria influence red alder chemical phenotype and plant-pest interactions; a $597.747 thousand NASA grant (May 2025) for a balanced science program on the Moon, Mars, and beyond; and a $418.746 million NSF Engineering award (September 2025) examining accumulation, chemistry, and human exposure risks of wildfire smoke constituents on indoor surfaces. Across these and other awards, PSU demonstrates deep competency in environmental field monitoring, laboratory analysis, computational modeling, and applied research translation.

Customer concentration heavily favors NSF, which anchors 281 awards (19% of total awards), followed by NASA Shared Services Center (72 awards, $11 million potential value), the Federal Highway Administration (59 awards, $559 thousand potential value), NOAA (51 awards, $367 thousand potential value), and the Department of the Navy (42 awards). By potential value, the Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management dominates with $17.7 million across 22 awards, primarily for riparian monitoring, aquatic assessment, and invasive species work in Oregon-Washington region. This concentration reflects PSU's regional anchor role in natural-resource stewardship and climate adaptation research across the Pacific Northwest.

PSU's parent contract vehicles include an Indefinite Delivery Contract (140L0618D0027) with 20 task orders valued at $8.6 million for aquatic and riparian monitoring work under BLM, a Multiple Award Schedule with 6 task orders, and several legacy IDCs. The university's vehicle footprint is modest; most awards flow directly from grantor agencies rather than through GSA or interagency vehicles. Recent activity shows 75 awards in 2022, 70 in 2023, 88 in 2024, and 67 in 2025, with 33 recorded in early 2026, indicating sustained research volume. Fifty-five awards face ultimate completion in the next 24 months (combined potential value $1.2 million), representing moderate recompete exposure but not a cliff.

PSU operates predominantly as a prime recipient and subcontracts rarely; of the 136 sub-awards in the source, the university holds a sub-recipient role on grants from University of Washington (PacTrans transportation research), Oregon State University (microplastics science, computer science education, materials research), Drexel University (autism research), and other lead universities. The University of Montana serves as a subcontractor to PSU on aquatic assessment and monitoring delivery orders, providing specialized sample analysis and technical support. Service Contract Inventory data shows minimal SCI-reportable invoicing and negligible FTE attribution; SCI coverage totals only 12 records (10 prime, 2 named sub) across FY2022–FY2025, indicating that the bulk of PSU's federal revenue flows through grants, cooperative agreements, and research contracts structured outside the SCI reporting threshold—consistent with its identity as a research university rather than a service contractor.

PSU competes in full-and-open federal grant competitions without set-aside preference. The award portfolio reflects primary NAICS categories of Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (76 awards), Environmental Consulting Services (22), Professional and Management Development Training (13), and Support Activities for Forestry (9), with top PSC codes spanning R&D Space Science (39 awards), Other Environmental Services (25), and Support Professional (18). The university's regional presence, emphasis on interdisciplinary research, and capacity to coordinate multi-institutional efforts and community engagement position it as a trusted partner for federal environmental, climate, and sustainability research across civilian and defense agencies.