University Of North Carolina At Wilmington

University Of North Carolina At Wilmington, a state-controlled public research university headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, executes federal research grants and cooperative agreements as the recipient institution through its Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance Office Division, competing full-and-open across civilian research agencies with no contract prime awardees. The institution holds 509 total federal awards (94% as prime recipient, 6% as sub-recipient) across 88 distinct agencies with combined potential value of $10.3 million and combined obligated dollars of $224.5 million, reflecting the multi-year nature of research grants and cooperative agreements.

UNCW's federal activity centers on research and development in marine science, oceanography, coastal resilience, atmospheric science, geosciences, and biological sciences. The institution performs work across its campus in Wilmington, North Carolina, and subordinate field sites for coastal and marine field research. Representative prime grant work includes a $556,383 NSF Biological Sciences CAREER award from the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (CFDA 47.074) to investigate dermal photoreception and dynamic color change in fishes, combining histology, spectroscopy, transcriptomics, and electrophysiology with workforce development and K-12 outreach through the Junior Seahawk Academy; a $699,589 NSF Biological Sciences award to uncover gene regulatory networks controlling coral skeleton development, with integrated research experience for biology students, marine genomics course-based undergraduate research, and K-8 marine science outreach; a $946,705 NSF Division of Ocean Sciences award to study the role of sponges in altering dissolved organic matter on Caribbean coral reefs; a $473,768 NSF Biological Sciences award examining how environmental signaling affects virulence factors in the marine bacterium Vibrio coralliilyticus in coral-reef-building corals; and a $999,186 cooperative agreement from the Department of the Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center (CFDA 12.630) to study breaking wave-induced rapid beach profile evolution in inner surf and swash zones. UNCW also executes contract work, including firm fixed-price purchase orders from NOAA for HABCAM (Habitat Mapping Camera) recovery operations aboard the research vessel R/V Bigelow using remotely operated vehicles, totaling $63,182 and $46,010 for recovery missions in July 2025 and June 2025 respectively.

Customer concentration sits heavily with civilian science agencies. The top five funding agencies by award count account for 48% of awards, led by NSF (114 awards), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (86 awards, $1.7 million combined potential value), NASA Shared Services Center (18 awards, $1.5 million), and the National Endowment for the Arts (13 awards). NOAA dominates both volume and dollar rankings, anchored by marine mammal stranding response and marine science field research. By potential value, NOAA and NASA Shared Services Center represent 32% of combined potential value, with SOCOM, Army, and Navy sub-line items carrying smaller dollar magnitudes. UNCW competes in full-and-open competitions across all civilian research agencies and does not hold federal contract IDIQs or GWACs. The institution places task orders under five parent vehicles, most notably Blanket Purchase Agreement NNJ06HA56Z carrying five task orders worth $688 thousand in combined potential value, alongside Navy basic ordering agreements and indefinite delivery contracts for technical assistance work.

Activity has remained stable year over year—27 to 28 awards annually from 2022 through 2024, declining to 14 awards in 2025 and 13 in 2026—reflecting the time lag between project start dates and source capture. Awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months total 22 with combined potential value of $136 thousand, presenting limited near-term recompete pressure. UNCW acts as prime recipient on all major grants and as sub-recipient to Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina State University, and other institutions on collaborative NSF and DOE projects. The institution holds no material subcontract footprint with for-profit prime contractors. Federal grant programs dominate the portfolio; UNCW is a Research-2 minority-serving institution designated for diversity initiatives in STEM workforce development and serves as a hub for marine research in the Southeast, with particular concentration in NSF Geosciences (CFDA 47.050), NSF Biological Sciences (CFDA 47.074), NOAA marine research and management (CFDA 11.439, 11.472), and NASA Earth science programs (CFDA 43.001). The institution will compete across academic research vehicles, NSF CAREER and RAPID mechanisms, cooperative study unit agreements with the National Park Service, and NOAA marine conservation and research partnerships over the next performance period.