University Of California, LOS Angeles

University of California, Los Angeles, operating through its Office of Research Administration, is a 1862 Land Grant public research institution that acts as a prime recipient of federal grants and research contracts across more than 290 distinct federal agencies, competing in full-and-open procurement without SBA small business designations. UCLA's federal footprint encompasses biomedical sciences, physical and engineering research, space science, and specialized academic services delivered through its research infrastructure and faculty expertise.

UCLA's customer concentration spans the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)—the top three funding sources by award count—with NIH alone representing 1,788 prime grants in the source data. By potential value, NASA leads with $200.7 million across 844 awards (primarily research support), followed by NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ($167.4 million, 327 awards) and the Department of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery ($71.7 million, 202 awards). These concentrations reflect UCLA's role as a comprehensive research university with deep strength in cardiovascular science, space astrophysics, biomedical research, and federal defense-related science. Recent representative work includes federally funded neuroscience research on circadian chronotype in Drosophila species (NINDS), development of terahertz spectroscopy platforms for rare earth element detection (ARPA-E, $2.778 million cooperative agreement), and NASA-funded heliophysics missions such as TRACERS through subcontracts with University of Iowa.

UCLA holds research funding across single-award and multiple-award indefinite-delivery contracts with the Department of the Navy (IDC N0014001GL634 carries 184 task orders worth $5.8 million combined; N0014006G0064 comprises 35 task orders, $10.6 million) and basic ordering agreements (BOA N0018919GZ049, 25 task orders, $4.1 million). The institution also operates recurring delivery-order arrangements with the Veterans Integrated Service Network 22 (VISN 22) for specialized research services—functional MRI imaging, genomics core services, animal care per diem, and pain management training—structured as single-award IDCs running through 2027–2031 with ceilings from $179,697 to $970,800.

Activity has moderated from peaks in 2024 (905 awards) to 480 awards in 2026, with 898 awards facing recompete within the next 24 months carrying $130.7 million in combined potential value. On federal service contracts captured in the Service Contract Inventory (SCI), UCLA reported invoiced amounts of $29.5 million across FY2022–FY2025 (prime contracts only), with FY2025 showing $7.3 million across 30.4 FTEs. Government-paid hourly rates on federal service contracts run a median of $164.27/hr, with senior labor reaching the 90th percentile at $920.11/hr, consistent with a research university's mix of entry-level research assistants and senior scientific personnel. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, subcontractors account for approximately 2 percent of total contractor hours, reflecting UCLA's model as a prime research performer with minimal subcontract engagement on these particular procurements.

UCLA's award portfolio shows 90 percent prime awards (12,199 of 13,601 total) and 10 percent sub-awards (1,402), positioning the institution primarily as a direct federal research recipient rather than a subcontractor to other primes. The institution serves as a sub-recipient on federal grants to prime grantees including Georgia State University (cryoEM structural studies), University of Florida (AAV immune response analysis), and multiple NIH consortium efforts. Recent federal grant activity spans NIH programs in neuroscience (NIMH, NIDA, NINDS, NEI), cardiovascular research (NHLBI), cancer (NCI), and aging (NIA); NSF programs in mathematics, physics, chemistry, geosciences, and cyberinfrastructure; and ARPA-E energy programs. Representative grants include $3.499992 million from the Defense Health Agency for B cell activation against breast cancer (FY2026), $1.792 million from NEI for adeno-associated virus vectors targeting retinal cell types (cooperative agreement through June 2031), and $1.08 million from NSF for human-AI collaboration in mathematical reasoning (FY2026–2029).

As a state-controlled institution of higher learning, UCLA competes for federal funding without set-asides and holds no SBA certifications. The institution's capstone federal footprint reflects its classification as a premier research university: approximately 13,601 awards tracked across the source data, representing $1.32 billion in combined potential value and $21.01 billion in combined obligated dollars across all federal sources (reflecting multi-year grant and contract renewals), with first federal awards dating to 1964. The Office of Research Administration serves as the administrative hub for all federally funded research, managing compliance, fiscal oversight, and research infrastructure across UCLA's schools and institutes.