University Of Hawaii

University Of Hawaii At Manoa, a public research university and Native Hawaiian-serving institution operating as a state government entity within the University of Hawaii Systems, receives federal funding as both a prime contractor and grant recipient across a broad research and educational portfolio. The institution competes predominantly in full-and-open federal research solicitations without set-aside designations, holding 5,403 prime awards and 436 subcontract awards across all federal sources since 1967, with a combined potential value of $1.31 billion and total obligated dollars reaching $9.4 billion.

The university's federal customer base spans 253 agencies, concentrated in research funding. The National Science Foundation (928 awards) and NASA Shared Services Center (725 awards, $259.7 million combined potential) drive award volume, while the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute dominates potential-value concentration with 88 awards worth $546.4 million—revealing a marked split between volumetric and dollar-value customer concentration. NOAA, NIFA, and APHIS round out the active set. Recent prime awards exemplify the institution's breadth: a $5.34 million NASA Marshall Space Flight Center definitive contract for development of the L-MAPS microwave spectrometer with ground penetrating radar subsystem for the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Instruments program (completion November 2029); a $2.83 million NIMHD grant for a produce prescription program targeting hypertension in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities (completion June 2029); a $4.01 million NASA cooperative agreement for the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium supporting STEM workforce development (completion March 2029); and a $1.62 million Naval Facilities Engineering Command contract for the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Water Resiliency Study (completion September 2027).

Activity trajectory shows growth from 248 awards in 2022 to a peak of 394 in 2024, with a decline to 279 in 2025 and 74 awards through October 2026, likely reflecting the two-month lag in source data. The university faces a significant recompete cliff: 420 awards (combined potential value $82.8 million) reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. The institution holds a single-award IDC with NASA Headquarters valued at $85.49 million through December 2033 for management and operations of the Infrared Telescope Facility, representing its highest-value sustained federal contract vehicle and anchoring its presence in space science infrastructure.

The university's research portfolio centers on space science, planetary science, astronomy, oceanography, climate adaptation, environmental management, and agricultural research. Recent grant work includes NSF-funded investigations into coral adaptive potential under climate change; NSF Geosciences research on eyewall replacement cycles in tropical cyclones and Hawaiian-Emperor volcanic chain structure; Office of Naval Research grants in materials science, biological data applications, and atmospheric flux parameterization; Department of Energy renewable energy research on wave energy conversion for offshore aquaculture; and NIH-supported research on bacterial-fungal interactions, monkeypox virus tropism in testicular tissue, and cancer biology. The institution also delivers substantial educational programming: NSF STEM education grants for undergraduate research experiences in astronomy, geosciences, and conservation; NASA cooperative agreements funding K-12 outreach and STEM engagement; and workforce development initiatives in cybersecurity, rehabilitation counseling, and behavioral health.

As a prime recipient, the university operates 93% of its awards directly, with 7% executed as a subcontractor to larger institutional partners. Named sub-awards reveal engagement with peer research universities and federal agencies: the university subcontracts to Northeastern University on NIH chemical synthesis work, Oregon State University on Department of Energy wave energy research, Harvard College on NIH eczema and allergy studies, and Montana State University on USDA agricultural innovation. Across SCI-reportable federal service contracts (FY2022–FY2024), the university invoiced $4.9 million with a median government-paid rate of $66.48/hr and workforce scale ranging from 11.8 to 96.6 FTEs, indicating that service contract activity represents a modest fraction of the institution's federal portfolio, which is predominantly research-grant driven rather than professional-services oriented.

The university competes in full-and-open solicitations across federal research agencies without reliance on set-aside vehicles, competing on scientific and technical merit. Its primary NAICS codes reflect this posture: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (173 awards), Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (61 combined awards across variants), and Educational Support Services (18 awards). PSC coding shows concentration in R&D Space Science/Applications Basic Research (362 awards), General Science and Technology Basic Research (112 awards), and Education/Training General (75 awards). The 420-award recompete cliff in the next twenty-four months represents material opportunity for competitors and renewal risk for the vendor, particularly in NASA and NSF research programs.