University Of Alaska Systems

University of Alaska Systems (UAS) serves as Alaska's comprehensive higher education institution with multiple campuses including the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). As a state-controlled institution of higher learning and land, sea, and space grant university, UAS provides specialized research, technical services, educational programs, and workforce development initiatives to federal agencies. The university system leverages its unique geographic location in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions to deliver expertise in areas critical to national priorities, including Arctic domain awareness, climate change research, environmental monitoring, natural resource management, and indigenous community engagement. UAS functions as a primary research and education partner for federal agencies operating in remote and challenging environments, with deep expertise in Arctic and cold region science.

Through federal contract awards, University of Alaska Systems and its subsidiaries have provided a diverse range of specialized services spanning multiple technical and scientific domains. The system has received firm-fixed-price purchase orders for library database support services ($246,911 from the Office of the Secretary of Defense), cadet internship programs ($11,693.51 and $11,500 from the Coast Guard), and field guide publication services ($24,000 from NOAA). Beyond purchase orders, UAS has executed major definitive contracts including a $6.0 million Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) contract for improving Arctic and sub-Arctic cross-country maneuvers through satellite and airborne remote sensing for terrain trafficability assessment, and a $4.999 million ERDC contract addressing integrated operations in polar seas across multiple laboratory divisions. The system has also received specialized research and development contracts from the Air Force Research Laboratory ($5.0 million Other Transaction Agreement for nuclear explosion monitoring software development), Defense Threat Reduction Agency delivery orders ($1.161 million for geophysical detection support and $1.410 million for infrasound detection studies), and Naval Air Systems Command ($4.336 million delivery order). Additional contract work includes cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery orders from DTRA and NAVAIR, sensors and cables procurement ($246,000), Arctic data collection services for Air Force Space Command ($164,497), and various smaller purchase orders for scientific and analytical services. No set-aside designations have been applied to these contracts, reflecting the university's status as a state-controlled institution. Prime contractors and collaborators on these awards have included Michigan State University, University of Mississippi, and Applied Research Associates, Inc.

University of Alaska Systems has established a substantial federal grant portfolio spanning research, education, workforce development, and community engagement across multiple funding agencies. Major research grants from the National Science Foundation include projects on electric vehicles in Arctic communities ($1.549 million), erosive wear of additively manufactured ceramics ($299,984), remote sensing and computational modeling for permafrost research, pollinator studies in the Aleutian Islands, and collaborative Arctic research initiatives focused on climate change impacts and infrastructure resilience. NASA has awarded grants for planetary science research including electric propulsion development ($215,990), Venus exploration seismic data analysis ($60,000), and various space science investigations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has funded marine mammal stranding programs ($133,335 and $134,896), coastal habitat restoration through the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve ($880,967 cooperative agreement and $600,000 capacity-building award), invasive species monitoring ($650,000), kelp processing research ($110,000), and aquatic toxicology research ($2.8 million). The Department of Defense Office of Naval Research has supported Arctic coastal erosion modeling research ($300,000), while the Department of Education has funded STEM education initiatives including the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), TRIO student support services, school social work advancement, and K-12 psychology program development. The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration provided $1.0 million for Arctic-focused research and technical services. Additional support includes Bureau of Land Management funding for assessment and inventory monitoring ($936,503) and youth conservation programs ($156,250), National Park Service cooperative agreements for invasive plant management ($620,000) and cultural resource preservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding for invasive species surveillance and salmon management, EPA environmental education grants, and the Small Business Administration's congressional grants ($3.0 million total). The Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service and Rural Business Cooperative Services have supported community facility development and rural cooperative development. The National Institute of Mental Health funded culturally adapted adolescent dialectical behavior therapy research ($196,210). Grant work frequently involves partnerships with Alaska Native organizations, tribal councils, state agencies, and other universities including collaborations with Oregon Health and Science University, University of Washington, Montana State University, and numerous other institutions.

University of Alaska Systems holds a substantial Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) valued at up to $84 million with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, awarded on August 18, 2021, with completion scheduled for August 17, 2026. This Phase VI BOA replacement addresses six strategic thrust areas: Arctic domain, coastal engineering, visualization and data analytics, maritime security, counter-terrorism, and zoonotic defense. Under this BOA vehicle, UAS has received multiple task orders demonstrating the breadth of the underlying agreement. A $249,998.34 firm-fixed-price task order supports Arctic-focused research, training, and support services for the Science and Technology Directorate, while a $42,330 firm-fixed-price delivery order with the U.S. Coast Guard establishes baseline data and protocols for unmanned aircraft systems experiments in freshwater ice, with performance conducted in Anchorage, Alaska. The BOA structure enables UAS to respond rapidly to evolving federal research and technical assistance needs across the Arctic domain while leveraging the university's specialized expertise in climate research, natural resource management, and emerging security challenges in the Arctic region.