Winona State University

Winona State University, a Minnesota public institution of higher learning, operates as a federal grant recipient that delivers research infrastructure development, student support services, and STEM education across multiple National Science Foundation and Department of Education programs, with no federal contracting prime work. The university competes for grants as a prime recipient (89% of recent awards) and receives sub-grants from state entities and other academic institutions (11% of recent awards); SBA set-aside designations do not apply to this federal entity.

Winona State's grant portfolio spans research and educational support. Recent prime-grant work includes a $570,326 National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences award (CFDA 47.049) effective August 2026 to develop ZEUS-3D, an upgraded imaging spectrometer for detecting gas accretion onto galaxies and characterizing star formation rates, elemental abundances, and black hole activity when deployed on the APEX submillimeter telescope in a three-year collaborative project with Cornell University. The university also holds a $302,906 NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences CAREER grant (CFDA 47.049) effective August 2024 through July 2029 to establish a Midwest Minnesota site for the Long Wavelength Array Swarm radio observatory, hire three student researchers annually in high-performance computing and RF testing, and demonstrate capabilities for a larger continental-scale radio astronomy facility. In student support, Winona State received $361,830 from the Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education under the TRIO Student Support Services Program (CFDA 84.042) effective September 2025 to fund academic advising, financial literacy support, and student success interventions for disadvantaged students, and $272,364 under the same program for support services tailored to students with disabilities. The university received $302,906 in research instrumentation funding from NSF in August 2024 for acquisition of a fast protein liquid chromatography system for protein purification and undergraduate research training in biochemistry and molecular biology.

Customer concentration sits primarily with research-focused agencies. The Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education leads by award count (13 awards), while the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Shared Services Center anchors potential value ($483 thousand across 5 awards). The National Science Foundation accounts for 9 awards across its Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences and Division of Astronomical Sciences. The Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons facilities in Rochester and Waseca place ancillary work ($575 thousand combined). Combined potential value across all 65 awards stands at $525 thousand, reflecting the institution's primary role as a research-grant recipient rather than a federal contractor. Obligated dollars total $51.6 million, indicating substantial prior-year performance against current and completed awards. Activity has averaged 3 to 5 awards annually over the past five years, with two awards recorded year-to-date in 2026. The university also holds sub-grant awards from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Minnesota Department of Health, and other entities. Performance locations center on Winona, Minnesota, with collaborative research conducted at partnering institutions including Cornell University and the University Corporation at Monterey Bay.