University Of New Mexico

University Of New Mexico Office Of Sponsored Projects Division, a Hispanic-Serving Institution and state-controlled public research university based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, receives and administers federal research grants and contracts as the primary recipient and institutional steward, competing as a prime across multiple federal funding streams without set-aside restrictions. The Office of Sponsored Projects itself is not an independent contractor; rather, it functions as the administrative vehicle through which the university—a minority-serving institution designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution—applies for, manages, and executes federally funded research and training programs across science, engineering, health, education, and national defense priorities.

UNM's recent federal footprint spans 3,469 awards (94% prime) with combined potential value of $649.7 million and $2.12 billion in obligated dollars across 213 distinct customer agencies. Activity has declined from 144 awards in 2023 to 84 in 2026 and 2 in early 2027, suggesting a transition in the source data or award reporting timeline. The top funding sources are the National Science Foundation (657 awards), Department of the Air Force (170 awards), NASA Shared Services Center (161 awards, $28.3 million), and National Institutes of Health (151 awards). By dollar concentration, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency leads with 52 awards valued at $147.7 million, followed by Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory ($43.9 million across 75 awards), and NASA ($28.3 million across 161 awards).

UNM's research portfolio reflects a broad research university profile: top NAICS codes are Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (147 awards), with significant secondary activity in facility leasing and engineering services. Research concentrates in basic science (R&D space science, 87 awards), education and training (47 awards), medical research (52 awards), and specialized studies including archaeological and paleontological work (42 awards). The university holds a single-award IDC with the Bureau of Indian Education worth $15 million for adjunct instructor services to Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, with six delivery orders issued spanning FY2024–FY2026 and collectively worth approximately $4.32 million at firm fixed-price rates per semester.

Recent prime contract work includes a $314,390 definitive contract from the Federal Railroad Administration (awarded October 15, 2026) to develop digital twin methodology for railcars and safety inspection support through October 2028; a $14.968 million definitive contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (May 30, 2025) for the STAR Advanced Design and Analysis of Space Technologies and Radiation Assurance program through August 2030; and adjunct faculty delivery orders under the Bureau of Indian Education ranging from $295 thousand to $779 thousand per order. Federal grant work dominates by award count and includes substantial NSF support across environmental biology, geosciences, engineering, and education programs; NIH grants in biomedical research, neuroscience, and health disparities; and EPA funding for water infrastructure training and wastewater technical assistance. Representative recent grants include $838,435 from NSF Division of Environmental Biology for host-microbe interactions in arid ecosystems (February 2027–January 2030), $1.375 million from EPA for wastewater system training and technical assistance nationwide (October 2024–September 2026), and $10.74 million from EPA for water infrastructure resilience and capacity-building across rural and tribal systems (January 2026–December 2028).

As a sub-recipient and partner, UNM has contributed research and analytical support to large national laboratory and university-led programs, including Quantum Systems Accelerator work with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, research collaborations with Duke University on surgical timing and rehabilitation protocols, and joint projects with various universities on climate adaptation, wildfire management, and materials characterization. The university's Service Contract Inventory activity shows modest federal services revenue—$6.9 million in SCI-reportable invoicing across FY2022–FY2025—with median government-paid rates around $26.92/hr and peak rates to $58.55/hr, reflecting a research-institution labor profile with graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty rather than commercial service delivery. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, UNM does not rely on subcontractors (0% average sub-hours share), indicating vertically integrated delivery of research and educational services using institutional personnel.

Recompete exposure is modest: 147 awards (combined potential value $7.7 million) complete within the next twenty-four months. The university's prime-dominated posture (94% of awards), full-and-open competition strategy, and focus on research and education delivery through its own faculty and infrastructure position UNM as a foundational research partner for federal agencies rather than as a commercial vendor or systems integrator. Federal customer concentration is distributed across multiple agencies and programs, reducing dependence on any single funding stream and reflecting UNM's institutional role as a comprehensive research university serving national priorities in STEM workforce development, basic research, infrastructure resilience, and service to Native American and Hispanic-serving communities.