Youngstown State University

Youngstown State University, a public institution of higher learning in Youngstown, Ohio, operates as a federal research recipient and prime contractor on federally funded research and education grants and modest procurement contracts. YSU has no SBA certifications and competes as a full-and-open entity; it receives awards from federal agencies rather than through set-aside vehicles.

YSU's federal footprint centers on research and STEM education capability across materials science, advanced manufacturing, workforce development, and computational thinking. As a prime recipient, YSU holds active grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in materials research, engineering education, and basic science; from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in advanced energy storage; from the National Institute of Justice in social media analysis of violent extremism; and from the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration in roadway safety planning. Representative recent work includes a $383,820.93 NSF Early Career Initiative grant for research into in-space and on-surface 3D printing of sodium-ion batteries (completed May 2024), a $445,515 NSF Major Research Instrumentation award for acquisition of dynamic stiffness and material fatigue testing equipment (running through August 2027), a $319,964 NSF STEM Education grant for developing artificial intelligence literacy among undergraduate engineering and computing students through case-based instruction (running through September 2028), and a $587,690 NSF STEM Education grant for designing accessible computational thinking curricula for middle school students with autism spectrum disorder (running through December 2027). YSU also received a modest $15,000 firm-fixed-price purchase order from NASA's Shared Services Center in March 2024 for 3D printed solid battery electrolyte development. Beyond research, YSU holds a $400,000 NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (EPIIC) grant focused on workforce development in emerging technologies through industry partnerships and a Center for the Future of Work (running through August 2027).

Customer concentration reflects YSU's research-institution profile. NSF accounts for the plurality of awards (33 awards), followed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (13 awards), the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (10 awards), and the Department of the Army (10 awards). The top five customer agencies by award count cover 50% of all awards. When ranked by combined potential value, NASA's Shared Services Center dominates with $399,000 across three awards, all in battery and advanced manufacturing research; the remaining value is distributed across a longer tail of research awards from NSF, DoD, and education-focused agencies. Activity has been moderate and relatively flat over the past five years—eight awards in 2022, eleven in 2023, thirteen in 2024, then declining to seven each in 2025 and 2026. Seven awards face ultimate completion in the next twenty-four months.

YSU serves in a subcontractor role on roughly 22% of its federal footprint (33 of 150 awards), primarily as a research sub-recipient under Ohio state-administered education grants and under research prime awards from universities including Case Western Reserve University and the University of Pittsburgh. YSU also subcontracts to the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining on workforce development work. The combined obligated dollars across all awards total $127.7 million against a combined potential value of $399,000, reflecting the university's primary engagement as a research grantee rather than a procurement contractor. YSU's only significant procurement vehicle footprint includes a Department of the Army Basic Ordering Agreement (DABT2375A0334) with five task orders and a Department of the Army Indefinite Delivery Contract (DAMD1783C3119).