Rehabilitation Institute Of Chicago

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, doing business as Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, is a non-profit hospital and research institute specializing in rehabilitation medicine, assistive technologies, and neurological research for individuals with disabilities and neurological conditions. Located in Chicago, Illinois, and registered with SAM.gov since October 2001, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is a recognized leader in rehabilitation outcomes research and translational science, with extensive expertise spanning spinal cord injury rehabilitation, stroke recovery, prosthetic technologies, and neuroplasticity research. The organization serves as both a prime contractor and grantee for the federal government, providing specialized medical services, clinical research, and innovative rehabilitation interventions through contracts and grants with multiple federal agencies.

Through federal contract awards, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has primarily provided refinement education services to the Department of Veterans Affairs, specifically through Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 (VISN 1). The organization holds a single award indefinite delivery contract with a ceiling value of $28,000 and completion date of January 4, 2029, under which delivery orders have been issued for refinement education services. Recent delivery order awards include one issued January 5, 2026 for $4,000.94 with completion by January 4, 2027, another from May 1, 2024 for $7,375.00 with completion by January 4, 2025, and a third from January 24, 2024 for $2,625.00 with completion by March 1, 2024. These contracts utilize firm fixed price pricing and were awarded without set-aside designations, indicating open competition. The organization's established history of providing education and support services to the VA demonstrates its consistent engagement in veterans' rehabilitation outcomes and educational programming.

Through federal grant awards, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has established itself as a prominent recipient of research funding from multiple National Institutes of Health components and specialized federal agencies. The organization's grant portfolio includes substantial awards for research in neurological rehabilitation and assistive technologies, with recent major grants including a $2,863,918 project grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for paired stimulation plasticity research in cervical spinal cord injury (award date September 1, 2025, completion August 31, 2028), a $1,793,411 grant from the Defense Health Agency for ampakine research to improve bladder function in spinal cord injury (July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027), and a $1,438,444 grant from NICHD addressing biomechanics and median nerve health in manual wheelchair users (August 11, 2025 through April 30, 2030). Additional grants address cerebral palsy assistive care solutions ($974,999 from NIDILRR), loneliness intervention for stroke survivors with aphasia ($249,900 from NIDILRR), prosthetic technologies for lower-limb amputees, and neuromodulatory strategies for stroke recovery. The organization also receives support from the Department of Veterans Affairs for adaptive sports programs and from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for research on nerve regeneration and spinal cord injury rehabilitation. These grants reflect the organization's leadership in translational rehabilitation research, with funding supporting clinical trials, outcomes measurement, and technology development across diverse disability populations.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab maintains a single prime federal contract indefinite delivery vehicle with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Integrated Service Network 1, established January 5, 2024 with an estimated ceiling value of $28,000 and performance period through January 4, 2029. This vehicle is designated for refinement education services and uses firm fixed price contracting without set-aside provisions. The indefinite delivery contract structure allows the VA to issue task orders on an as-needed basis for education and refinement services supporting veterans' rehabilitation goals. Multiple delivery orders have been issued under this umbrella contract, with the most recent task order awarded January 5, 2026, indicating ongoing utilization of this vehicle for the provision of specialized educational services to support the Department of Veterans Affairs' mission in serving veterans and their families.