University Of Montana

University of Montana, operating through its Research and Sponsored Programs division, is a public research institution and state-controlled higher-education entity headquartered in Missoula, Montana, that serves as a prime recipient and prime contractor for federal grants and contracts in environmental science, ecological research, health sciences, and STEM education. The institution competes entirely in full-and-open procurements with no set-aside designations across its federal award footprint.

The university's capability portfolio centers on field-based ecological monitoring, environmental assessment, wildlife research, and scientific analysis spanning forest management, aquatic resources, climate adaptation, and public health. Recent prime contract work includes a $12.1 million definitive contract from the Administration for Community Living (HHS) to operate the Independent Living Training & Technical Assistance Center through September 2029; a $3.64 million delivery order from the Defense Logistics Agency (ENDIST Omaha) for snowpack and soil moisture monitoring network installation and operation in the Upper Missouri River Basin through September 2028; a $12.1 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for vaccine adjuvant discovery and development through September 2029; and a $9.57 million NIAID definitive contract for development of synthetic adjuvants for Lyme disease and other pathogens through September 2026. On the grant side, representative work includes a $1.25 million formula grant from USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture for transdisciplinary forest research and carbon storage under the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research program (CFDA 10.202); a $1.45 million Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for mechanisms of behavioral cough suppression therapy; a $3.04 million Project Grant from the National Institute on Aging investigating neighborhood social dynamics and Alzheimer's Disease risk; and a $2.21 million Project Grant from NSF's Biological Sciences program studying bat adaptation to white-nose syndrome and climate change.

Customer concentration reflects the university's research mission. The top five funding sources account for 26% of awards by count: the National Science Foundation (240 awards), NASA Shared Services Center (96 awards, $20.3 million combined potential value), the National Institutes of Health (79 awards), the National Park Service (70 awards), and USGS Office of Acquisitions and Grants (56 awards, $801 thousand combined potential value). By dollar magnitude, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases anchors the portfolio at $127.4 million combined potential value across 39 awards, followed by the Bureau of Land Management ($32.2 million across 53 awards) and NASA ($20.3 million across 96 awards). The rankings diverge: NSF leads by award count but does not appear in the top five by dollars, while NIAID concentrates significant value in fewer awards, signaling both breadth of federal relationships and deep engagement with high-dollar biomedical research.

The university holds positions on five named indefinite-delivery contracts: IDC 140L0618D0021 (24 task orders, $6 million combined potential value), IDC 140L0618D0064 (23 task orders, $6.2 million combined potential value), IDC N6133979C0025 (17 task orders), IDC W9128F20D0068 (12 task orders, $11.4 million combined potential value), and IDC F2560687D0008 (9 task orders). These vehicles span civil works, environmental monitoring, and research support activities across Interior and Defense agencies.

Activity has grown modestly: 115 awards in 2022, 114 in 2023, 161 in 2024, declining to 90 in 2025 with only 20 recorded through mid-2026. The university faces significant recompete exposure: 108 awards with ultimate completion dates in the next twenty-four months carry combined potential value of $83 million, representing critical renewal risk for ongoing research programs and environmental monitoring networks.

SCI-reported federal service contract invoicing shows $18.7 million total across FY2022–FY2024, with $8.4 million in FY2022 (39.0 FTEs) and $10.3 million in FY2024 (78.0 FTEs). The median government-paid hourly rate on SCI-reportable prime contracts runs around $98/hr, with the 90th percentile reaching $4,082/hr, reflecting a mix of field technician labor and senior research scientist pricing. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, subcontractors account for roughly 20% of total contractor hours, with 26 named subs including Montana State University, University of Washington, Colorado State University, and other regional academic partners. The university operates primarily as a prime recipient and contractor: 86% of awards are primes, 14% are sub-awards or sub-recipient arrangements. This posture reflects its role as a comprehensive research institution that builds internal research teams and leverages academic partnerships rather than serving as a subcontractor to other federal performers.

The corporate structure includes three named subsidiaries: University of Montana (the main 1890 Land Grant institution with School of Forestry), Montana Technological University, and Helena College University of Montana. All operate as state-controlled educational institutions with aligned research and technical missions in their respective geographies.

Federal grant programs dominate the award mix. The university receives funding from NSF across biological sciences, mathematical sciences, environmental systems, and STEM education programs; from NIH across NIAID (vaccine research), NIGMS (biomedical sciences), NIDILRR (disability and rehabilitation research), NIDA (substance abuse and neuroplasticity), and NIA (aging research); from NASA (science and STEM education); from USDA (forestry and natural resources); from HHS (behavioral health, assistive technology, community living); from the Department of Interior (National Park Service, USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management); and from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Department of State (international educational exchange). This portfolio reflects a research university engaged broadly in federal science funding, with particular strength in environmental sciences, public health, and workforce development in rural and underserved regions.