University Of North Carolina At Wilmington

University of North Carolina at Wilmington's Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance Office Division operates as a federal research institution and grant recipient, competing full-and-open across civilian research agencies without set-aside designation. The division functions as prime recipient on federal research grants spanning marine science, oceanography, geosciences, atmospheric science, and educational programs, representing 94% of its recent award footprint across 502 awards to date.

The University's customer base is heavily concentrated among science and research funders. The National Science Foundation leads by award count with 113 awards; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) places 86 awards worth $1.7 million in combined potential value; and NASA's Shared Services Center (which channels funding from NASA and other agencies through shared contracting mechanisms) accounts for 17 awards worth $1.5 million. These three agencies represent 48% of all awards by count. When ranked by dollar magnitude, NASA Johnson Space Center anchors the portfolio at $3.5 million across five awards, followed by NOAA and NASA Shared Services Center. The division serves 88 distinct federal agencies, though concentration is decision-relevant: NSF and NOAA together account for a substantial share of recent volume and funding.

Recent prime research work includes a $699,589 five-year NSF CAREER award (June 2026–May 2031) to investigate gene regulatory networks controlling coral skeleton development, combining fundamental research with workforce development through undergraduate research experiences and K-8 outreach; a $625,000 NIST grant (October 2024–September 2026) to enhance maritime cybersecurity standards and develop proof-of-concept analysis methodologies for critical infrastructure operators; a $519,767 NSF Division of Ocean Sciences award (September 2024–August 2027) characterizing physiological and environmental cycling of osmolytes in marine microorganisms; and a $999,186 Army Corps of Engineers Cooperative Agreement (August 2023–August 2027) studying breaking wave-induced rapid beach profile evolution in inner surf and swash zones. Contract work is minimal—two NOAA purchase orders in 2025 for HABCAM remotely operated vehicle recovery operations totaling approximately $109,000 represent the primary contract footprint.

The division acts as a sub-recipient on federal grants through consortia arrangements. Named sub-award relationships include work under North Carolina State University for oyster contaminant monitoring and shellfish mariculture business incubation; University of North Carolina at Greensboro leadership on the Mountains-to-Sea North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (M2S NC LSAMP); Oregon State University coordination on ancient coastal landforms research; and University of Washington partnership on outcome assessment after severe acute brain injury. UNCW also receives sub-awards from university-led consortia such as UC Irvine and World Learning Inc. for study-abroad capacity expansion. The division holds two sub-contract positions under Applied Research Solutions, Inc. for mission autonomy R&D services (awarded January 2025 and January 2026).

The portfolio spans research-intensive NAICS categories: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (42 awards); All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (16); Environmental Consulting Services (8); and Administration of Education Programs (8). PSC coding reflects this posture: R&D–Defense (Other/Basic Research) accounts for 13 awards; Special Studies/Analysis–Scientific Data, 13; and Education/Training–Tuition/Registration/Membership, 11.

Activity has been stable across recent years (27–28 awards annually from 2022–2024, declining to 14 in 2025 as the source represents awards through mid-2026). Twenty-four awards carrying a combined potential value of $334,000 reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating modest recompete exposure. The division's obligated funds ($222 million) substantially exceed combined potential value ($10.3 million), indicating that many awards have been fully invoiced and closed; this is characteristic of long-running research programs and educational grants where billing cycles and project duration extend beyond award ceiling amounts.

The University competes on named indefinite-delivery vehicles and blanket purchase agreements, primarily through NOAA and Navy parent contracts. The Blanket Purchase Agreement NNJ06HA56Z carries five task orders worth $688,000 in combined potential value; Basic Ordering Agreement N0018915GZ015 and related Navy IDCs carry smaller volumes. No presence on GWACs, NASA SEWP, or GSA Schedules appears in the source.