The University Of Iowa

The University of Iowa, a state-controlled public research institution headquartered in Iowa City, receives and executes federal awards as both a prime contractor and grant recipient across 258 federal agencies, with a combined potential value of $3.16 billion and combined obligated dollars of $6.58 billion across 6,558 awards (5,931 prime, 627 sub) spanning research, healthcare services, and educational programs. The university does not hold SBA set-aside designations and competes in full-and-open federal procurements.

The university's federal footprint reflects a dominant research and education mission. Across recent years, the portfolio has grown from 302 awards in 2022 to 490 in 2024, though declining to 359 in 2025 and 114 year-to-date in 2026. The top five customer agencies by award count are Veterans Integrated Service Network 23 (690 awards, $150.5 million potential value), the National Institutes of Health (672 awards), the National Science Foundation (523 awards), NASA Shared Services Center (320 awards, $64.4 million), and NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (220 awards, $71.5 million). By dollar concentration, NIAID leads with $1.22 billion combined potential value across 218 awards, followed by the National Cancer Institute ($937.7 million across 163 awards), Veterans Integrated Service Network 23 ($150.5 million), NHLBI ($71.5 million), and NASA ($64.4 million). These five customers account for 77 percent of combined potential value.

The university functions primarily as a direct recipient of federal research funding and a provider of healthcare, laboratory testing, and specialized scientific services to federal agencies. Recent contract work includes a $13.1 million definitive contract from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (awarded November 2025) to establish and operate a NIH NeuroBank collection site for brain and tissue repository acquisition, processing, and distribution; a $3.4 million NIH construction grant (awarded September 2025) for the Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank facility renovation; a $1.26 million Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative grant (awarded October 2025) investigating multi-scale non-equilibrium energy transfers in energetic materials, with sub-awards to Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University, Rice University, and UC Berkeley; a $2.185 million National Cancer Institute Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) award (August 2025) for neuroendocrine tumor research with sub-awards to Yale University and Rutgers University; and a $1.52 million National Park Service historic preservation grant (September 2025) for restoration of the Laysan Island Cyclorama. Healthcare and VA contract work includes multiple delivery orders under a $2.0 million indefinite-delivery contract with Veterans Integrated Service Network 23 (awarded September 2024) for statistical laboratory testing and research support services, with individual task orders for autopsy services, cytology testing, transcription services, and immunotherapeutic research ranging from $10,000 to $496,000.

The university operates under two primary IDV vehicles: a $191,070.76 sole-source indefinite-delivery contract with VISN 23 (awarded February 2026) for immunotherapeutic research services through January 2029, and a Basic Ordering Agreement with the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (awarded March 2025, no ceiling specified) running through February 2035 for diverse research and healthcare services including laboratory testing, clinical research support, and tuition/fees. As of recent activity, approximately 442 awards with combined potential value of $281.5 million face recompete in the next twenty-four months.

On Service Contract Inventory, the university reported $25.5 million in prime-contract invoiced revenue across FY2022–FY2024, with FY2024 showing $18.9 million across 74.0 full-time equivalents. Median government-paid rates for SCI-reportable contracts ran $46.53/hour, with senior labor pricing through $162.79/hour. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, subcontractors accounted for an average 5 percent share of total contractor hours, with 31 named subcontractors reported. The university's federal research portfolio is substantially larger than SCI-reportable service contracts; SCI captures only service contracts above $150,000 and excludes the majority of grant awards, goods procurements, and non-federal enterprise revenue.

The university's federal award activity by category reflects its research and educational mission. Top NAICS include Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (614 awards), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (216 awards), and Testing Laboratories and Services (156 awards). Top PSCs include Education/Training—Tuition/Registration/Membership Fees (250 awards), R&D—Other Research and Development (201 awards), R&D—Space/Science/Applications (187 awards), Reference Laboratory Testing (167 awards), and Health R&D and Healthcare Services (115 awards). The university sits on federal research vehicles including agency-wide IDIQs and IDCs with the VA, Navy, NIH, NSF, NASA, and other civilian and defense agencies.

As the parent entity, The University of Iowa exercises oversight of award management, with subsidiary corporate entities named University Of Iowa, The Inc. registered for federal contracting and grant purposes.