Texas Biomedical Research Institute

Texas Biomedical Research Institute, doing business as Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, operates as a non-profit recipient of federal research grants and prime contractor for infectious disease research and vaccine development services delivered through non-human primate models and laboratory studies, with headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. The institute hosts the Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC), one of seven NIH-funded national primate centers, and competes predominantly in full-and-open federal grant and contract markets without set-aside designations.

The institute's capability portfolio centers on preclinical infectious disease research using non-human primate models—rhesus macaques, baboons, marmosets, and pigtail macaques—for HIV/SIV pathogenesis studies, tuberculosis research, filovirus natural history studies, and vaccine immunogenicity testing. Representative contract work includes a $12.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (awarded September 2023) for Good Laboratory Practice natural history studies in non-human primate models of filovirus infection, with performance extended through September 2028; a $193,026 purchase order from the FDA (September 2023) to provide baboons for OMV-pertussis vaccine study support; and a $99,991 firm fixed-price purchase order from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) (August 2022) for in vitro and in vivo studies of ROC-325 compounds against live SARS-CoV-2 models. The institute also operates the Southwest National Primate Research Center, which houses approximately 3,000 non-human primates and provides colony breeding, health screening, and specialized research services for domestic and external investigators.

Federal grant work dominates the institute's portfolio. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) anchors customer concentration, funding 101 awards (65% of the top five customer agencies by award count) with combined potential value of $282.9 million. Recent NIAID grants include a $927,025 Project Grant (May 2026, completion April 2031) on IL-21 therapy for MTB/SIV co-infection immune reconstitution; a $3.17 million Project Grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (September 2025, completion May 2030) on focused ultrasound blood-brain barrier opening for CNS-directed HIV/SIV reservoir reduction; and a $2.29 million Project Grant from NIDA (August 2025, completion May 2030) on CRISPR/Cas genome editing to eliminate SIV CNS reservoirs in methamphetamine-exposed rhesus macaques. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is the second-largest customer by potential value, funding five awards worth $112.3 million combined, primarily through a $100 million single-award Indefinite Delivery Contract (September 2022, completion September 2027) for biological animal model and medical countermeasure development services. The institute serves 34 distinct federal agencies across NIH institutes, DoD, the FDA, the CDC, and the Economic Development Administration.

The institute holds two primary Indefinite Delivery Contracts awarded in FY2024–FY2025. A $146.3 million single-award IDIQ from NIAID (awarded July 2024, completion July 2031) covers pre-clinical models of infectious diseases across three task areas, supporting development and refinement of animal models for evaluating candidate countermeasures against pathogens with pandemic potential and antimicrobial resistance. A $136.6 million single-award IDIQ from NIAID (awarded September 2025, completion September 2035) provides evaluation and testing services for vaccines and biologics targeting infectious diseases. Both vehicles reflect NIAID's reliance on the institute's specialized non-human primate research capabilities.

Activity has grown significantly from 19 awards in 2022 to 45 awards in 2024, with a slight decline to 33 in 2025 and 9 awards recorded as of mid-2026. The recompete window (next 24 months) includes 18 awards worth $124 thousand in combined potential value, primarily smaller grant awards. The institute's grant portfolio shows strong pipeline continuation, with multiple NIAID grants and cooperative agreements extending through 2029–2031.

The institute operates as a prime recipient on the vast majority of federal grant work (74% of all recent awards) and holds substantial grant sub-award activity, acting as sub-recipient to major universities and research institutions. Named sub-award relationships include The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (multiple collaborative CTSA, aging, and COVID-19 studies), Baylor College of Medicine (Texas D-CFAR Developmental grant core), Columbia University (Strong Heart Study genetics database and analysis), University of Chicago (TB/HIV co-infection and immunology studies), and Stanford University (SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus research). The institute also engages in federal contract subcontracting to primes including Bioqual, Inc., Illumina, Inc., Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Cherokee Nation Operational Solutions, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, providing immunogenicity testing, vaccine development support, challenge material production, and animal model services.

SCI-reportable invoicing was minimal ($32 thousand in FY2024 at $58.62 per hour across 0.3 FTEs on one prime contract), reflecting the institute's heavy orientation toward grant funding rather than billable service contracts. Across SCI records, the institute appeared in 23 subcontractor roles, averaging 4.4 FTEs in FY2022 and 4.5 FTEs in FY2024, indicating modest federal service contract engagement relative to its federal grant footprint.