University Of Puerto Rico

The University of Puerto Rico, through its Research and Development Center Division operating as Chancellor Mayaguez Campus, is a prominent Hispanic-serving research institution that provides advanced research services and technical assistance to multiple federal agencies. The university specializes in delivering sophisticated research and development support across diverse scientific and engineering disciplines, leveraging its expertise to support federal agency missions. As a major research institution with established infrastructure and capabilities, the university engages in both contract work and grant-funded research initiatives focused on advancing knowledge in areas ranging from coastal engineering to information technology while emphasizing diversity and inclusion in STEM fields.

Through federal contract awards, the University of Puerto Rico has primarily served the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, particularly through its Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), under a substantial Indefinite Delivery Contract valued at approximately $3.98 million through June 2026. The university has received multiple delivery order contracts totaling over $1.5 million from June 2021 through 2025, supporting research in coastal hydraulics, geotechnical engineering, environmental analysis, materials science, and information technology. Specific contract work has included design and analysis of robust power grids incorporating distributed energy resources, coastal resilience studies, and research support personnel services across multiple ERDC laboratories located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Hanover, New Hampshire, and Puerto Rico. The university also received a $229,920 purchase order from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for Puerto Rico Seismic and Tsunami Warning System Support, and a $83,855.61 delivery order from the Army Corps of Engineers for environmental and laboratory research services. All contract awards were competed on a merit basis with no set-aside designations, demonstrating the university's competitive capabilities in technical research delivery.

The University of Puerto Rico has secured grant funding from both NASA and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), reflecting its capacity to conduct research in scientific and educational domains. The institution received a $893,420 NASA grant awarded on April 11, 2022, for the OCEANOS (Ocean Community Engagement and Awareness using NASA Observations and Science for Low-Income Hispanic/Latino Students) project, with completion targeted for April 10, 2027, which combines NASA ocean color satellite data with low-cost in-water instrumentation to increase oceanographic awareness and STEM career opportunities among low-income, first-generation Puerto Rican students. Additionally, the university received a $60,000 NASA grant issued on January 15, 2024, for research titled "Automating Character Extraction for Taxonomic Species Descriptions Using Neural Network, Transformer, and Computer Vision Signal Processing Architectures," with completion scheduled for January 14, 2026, supporting work in automated taxonomy using advanced computational techniques. The university also participated in the NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP) administered through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, designated as a Scientific Research Preparatory Program. These grant awards align with NASA's Science Mission Directorate priorities for diversity, inspiration, and community engagement while advancing STEM education and scientific literacy among underrepresented populations in the Caribbean region.