Simon Fraser University

Simon Fraser University, a Canadian non-profit educational institution headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, operates as a prime recipient on federal research grants and contracts (78% of recent awards) and as a sub-recipient on federally funded research projects (22%), with no federal contract vehicle seating. The university competes in full-and-open procurements across health research, environmental technology, materials science, and telecommunications domains; no set-aside categories apply to its federal footprint.

SFU's customer concentration is diffuse across health and defense research agencies. The top five customer agencies by award count—the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Office of Naval Research—account for 37% of recent awards. However, the potential-value ranking diverges materially: the Army Corps of Engineers' Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity leads by dollar magnitude with two awards worth $1.1 million combined potential value, anchored by a $963,108 definitive contract (ER18-1502) awarded January 25, 2022, for environmental technology demonstration under the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, with ultimate completion January 24, 2027. The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service ranks second with three awards totaling $175 thousand. This split reflects SFU's role as a health research sub-recipient on large NIH and NIDA grants flowing through prime universities (Harvard College, Columbia University, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and others) alongside smaller prime environmental and technology contracts.

Recent representative work spans materials science, public health, and wireless communications. SFU received a $200 thousand Office of Naval Research project grant (CFDA 12.300) effective April 1, 2026, through November 30, 2030, for development of novel hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite materials for piezoelectric and multifunctional device applications, conducted at its Ottawa, Ontario facility. As a grant sub-recipient, SFU supports a National Institute on Drug Abuse project on non-fatal overdose outcomes (ultimate completion June 30, 2025), musculoskeletal biomechanics research under Harvard College and University of Pennsylvania primes, and a University of Colorado-led NASA proximity wireless communications testbed for lunar RF propagation and Artemis mission support (subcontract dated December 5, 2023). SFU also holds a $94,600 purchase order from Veterans Affairs (September 10, 2021; completed April 1, 2022) for a tissue test system.

Activity has accelerated year over year—two awards in 2022 to ten in 2024, with six in 2025—though the combined potential value across 89 awards totals only $1.9 million. The discrepancy reflects the university's role predominantly as a sub-recipient on large grants; obligated dollars ($69.1 million) dwarf potential value, indicating mature, invoiced work. Four awards (combined potential value $963 thousand) face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting recompete exposure concentrated in the Army Corps of Engineers contract. Work is performed at SFU's Burnaby headquarters and Ottawa, Ontario facility. Place of performance for grant sub-work spans multiple prime institutions' locations across the United States and Canada.