University Of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming, doing business as Sponsored Programs, is a 1862 land-grant public research institution based in Laramie that operates as a federal grant recipient and prime contractor on research, diagnostic, environmental monitoring, and educational programs across the National Science Foundation, NASA, Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior, and 200+ other federal agencies. The institution competes across full-and-open federal research funding streams without set-aside designation, generating a diversified portfolio dominated by investigator-initiated and capacity research grants rather than service contracts.

The university's recent federal footprint spans 2,759 prime and sub awards totaling $123.2 million in combined potential value, with obligations of $1.93 billion reflecting multi-year research execution cycles. Activity has moderated over recent years—declining from 222 awards in 2024 to 117 in 2025 and just 1 in 2027 (likely a data lag)—suggesting either portfolio maturation or seasonal reporting patterns. Over 126 awards totaling $5.3 million reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, driving recompete activity.

The university's customer concentration splits between research funding and operational services. The National Science Foundation leads by award count (341 awards), followed by the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (262 awards). By dollar value, NASA's Shared Services Center anchors the portfolio with 114 awards worth $34.3 million, supporting STEM engagement, cooperative agreements, and space science research through facilities at Laramie. The top fifty customers account for roughly one-third of all awards across testing laboratories, veterinary diagnostic services, agricultural research, earth sciences, and basic research in physics and biology.

The university delivers concrete capability in four domains: federal research administration and grant execution (fundamental and applied research across NSF, NIH, DOE, and USDA programs); veterinary diagnostics and animal health surveillance (operating as a National Animal Health Laboratory Network partner with a $25 million single-award IDIQ through September 2031 for diagnostic testing); environmental monitoring and geospatial analysis (soil moisture and snowpack monitoring for the Upper Missouri River Basin under Army Corps of Engineers IDIQs; wildlife habitat assessment and invasive species mapping for Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service); and STEM workforce development and educational programming (NASA cooperative agreements, NSF REU site operations, extension programming across Wyoming's 23 counties and Wind River Indian Reservation).

Representative prime work includes a $3.41 million NASA cooperative agreement for STEM engagement workforce development through June 2029; a $21.428 million Department of Energy cooperative agreement for Wyoming Integrated Test Center enhancement supporting post-combustion carbon capture research; a $1.618 million National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Act multistate agricultural research award; a $2.796 million NSF cooperative agreement for NSF University of Wyoming King Air atmospheric research aircraft operations through 2031; and a $25 million single-award indefinite-delivery contract from USDA Veterinary Services for National Animal Health Laboratory Network diagnostic testing running through September 2031. The university also holds dual Blanket Purchase Agreements with the National Park Service—a $250 thousand agreement and a $3 million agreement—for native plant seed laboratory services supporting restoration projects in Midwest national parks through 2027 and 2029.

Across SCI-reportable federal service contracts above the $150 thousand threshold, the university's footprint is minimal: zero prime invoiced revenue captured in SCI records from FY2022–FY2025, with only 3 prime records and 7 named subcontractor records across those years. The institution operates primarily as a research grant recipient and diagnostic services prime rather than as a federal service contractor, placing the SCI dataset outside the university's core operational model. The university subcontracts selectively to other research institutions and prime contractors; named sub-award partners include Leidos (Treasury IRS Modernization research support) and sub-recipient arrangements with peer institutions across NSF, NIH, and USDA collaborative research efforts.

The university's federal footprint is geographically anchored in Laramie with operational presence across Wyoming's counties and Indian reservation, research facilities including the 2.3-meter Wyoming Infrared Observatory and the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory (AAVLD-accredited), and field monitoring stations across the Upper Missouri River Basin and national parks. All work is performed as a state government entity with no proprietary teaming arrangements; the institution acts as a knowledge partner and research performer within multi-agency and multi-institutional federal initiatives rather than as a commercial contractor.