University Of Miami

University of Miami's Office of Research - Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), operating as "University of Miami," is a non-profit research division of a private university that conducts marine science, atmospheric research, and specialized analytical services as a prime recipient on federal grants and a subcontractor on research contracts with no set-aside posture. The division operates across marine science, atmospheric chemistry, oceanography, climate dynamics, and remote sensing—areas where competitive federal funding from science agencies (NSF, NASA, NOAA, Navy) dominates its portfolio.

RSMAS is heavily grant-funded rather than contract-driven. Its work spans federal research grant programs including NSF Geosciences (CFDA 47.050), NASA Science (CFDA 43.001), NOAA Cooperative Institutes (CFDA 11.405), EPA geographic initiatives (CFDA 66.484), and DOI earth science. Recent representative grant work includes a $2.392 million NSF Division of Ocean Sciences award (through August 2026) to continue observations of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation using the RAPID-MOCHA mooring array; a $94.801 million NOAA Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) award (October 2025–September 2030) for tropical weather observations, ocean-climate prediction, and ecosystem management; and a $750 thousand EPA grant (August 2025–July 2028) for native oyster restoration in Biscayne Bay. The division also receives smaller task orders under federal contracts—notably a $8.998 million Army Southern Command definitive contract (September 2024–September 2027) for Center for Southeast Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS) interferometric synthetic aperture radar support serving counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and disaster response operations.

Customer concentration is broad across 55 federal agencies, though science agencies dominate. NSF (249 awards), NASA Shared Services Center (160 awards, $37.1 million), NOAA (134 awards, $1.3 million), the Navy (91 awards), and NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (55 awards) together account for 65% of recent awards by count. By potential value, NASA leads ($37.1 million across 160 awards), followed by the Navy Office of Naval Research ($16.6 million across 34 awards), Veterans Affairs ($11.4 million across 5 awards), NASA Headquarters ($9.4 million across 23 awards), and NASA Goddard ($3.5 million across 12 awards). RSMAS operates as a prime recipient on nearly all work (97% of 1,065 awards); subcontracting represents a minor role (3%). The Tritium Laboratory, a specialized facility within RSMAS providing low-level tritium analysis services, frequently appears as a named sub-awardee supporting parent recipients.

Activity has remained steady across the past five years—45 to 51 annual awards—with 15 awards recorded year-to-date in 2026. A recompete cliff of $11.6 million in combined potential value falls due within the next 24 months (56 awards with completion before October 2026). The parent vehicle portfolio is dominated by government-wide and agency IDIQs (six task orders under contract 140G0221D0007, six under 98CRCN1014, five under ING04CRCN0014, and others), most carrying modest individual task order values (hundreds of thousands to low millions). RSMAS does not sit on major government-wide multiple-award contracts or GSA schedules; its work is awarded through individual grants and targeted research procurements.

The Rosenstiel School's federal posture is consistent with an academic research institution: highly specialized in ocean and atmospheric science, funded predominantly through competitive grants from science agencies, with a service and education mission alongside research. The division's capability set—tritium analysis, remote sensing, hurricane dynamics, marine ecosystem monitoring, coral restoration, oceanographic field operations, and climate modeling—positions it as a niche player in marine and atmospheric research for civilian and defense applications focused on climate, environmental monitoring, and coastal resilience.