University Of Nebraska

University Of Nebraska, a state-controlled institution of higher learning headquartered in Kearney, Nebraska, operates as a recipient of federal research grants and occasional prime contractor, with a modest federal footprint anchored in biomedical and basic science research funded by the National Institutes of Health and workforce development programs through the Department of Education and Department of Labor. The institution is a child entity under the Board Of Regents Of University Of Nebraska, the parent land-grant university system.

The recent federal award portfolio spans 131 total awards (prime and sub combined) with combined obligated dollars of $50.3 million against a much smaller potential-value ceiling, reflecting the research-grant nature of the work. The portfolio grew from six awards in 2022 to 19 in 2024, then stabilized at 17 annually in 2025 and 2026. University Of Nebraska operates as prime recipient on 53% of awards and as sub-recipient on 47%, with only one prime federal contract in the source data—a $7,500 firm-fixed-price purchase order from the Nebraska Army National Guard in April 2022 for a marketing proposal delivered by June 2023.

The customer concentration is research-focused. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) leads by award count with 24 grants, followed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) with 19 formula grants related to mine safety training, and the Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education with eight grants. Together these three agencies account for 47% of awards. By potential value, NASA's Shared Services Center holds the largest single concentration ($241 thousand across four awards), though the ranking is dominated by research grant programs rather than contract vehicles. MSHA formula grants for mine safety training and health education constitute a recurring revenue stream; the university has held these grants continuously from 2022 through 2026.

Recent representative prime grants include a $137,005 project grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855) awarded August 2026 to investigate Staphylococcus aureus persister survival and host immune response, a $132,735 project grant from NIGMS (CFDA 93.859) awarded July 2026 examining endocrine-disrupting chemicals and atherosclerosis risk, a $127,159 project grant from NIAID (CFDA 93.855) awarded June 2026 on androgens and peanut allergy development, and a $353,851 TRIO Student Support Services grant from the Department of Education (CFDA 84.042) awarded September 2025 to enhance postsecondary outcomes for disadvantaged students. A $2 million project grant from the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (CFDA 84.215) awarded July 2024 funds the Knowledge Network for Early Childhood Education Workforce (KNEW), addressing recruitment and retention of early childhood educators in rural Nebraska through the university's Extension team and partnership with the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation.

In its subrecipient role, University Of Nebraska participates in research networks and capacity-building initiatives led by the Board Of Regents Of The University Of Nebraska system entities and peer institutions. Notable recent sub-awards include work within the Nebraska Research Network in Functional Genomics (multiple awards from the Board Of Regents starting July 2023), a subaward from Case Western Reserve University on exosome-like nanoparticles in obesity inflammation (August 2023), and subawards from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans on health-related research (ongoing since November 2022). The university also receives sub-grants from state agencies—Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska Department of Transportation, and Department of Education Nebraska—on environmental management, driver safety, and apprenticeship expansion work.

The only identified parent vehicle is a Blanket Purchase Agreement with the Department of Agriculture (AG6395B090022), under which the university has placed nine task orders worth $100 thousand combined potential value, centered on testing and laboratory services. Testing laboratories and services constitute the top NAICS category with 13 awards, aligned with MSHA training work and biomedical research support functions. Two awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months represent minimal recompete exposure. The institution competes under no set-asides; all work is full-and-open or formula-driven.