University research, training, and educational programs funded by federal grants and contracts. Find active federal and state colleges, universities and professional schools contracts — AI-scored against your profile across SAM.gov and 200+ portals.
Annual federal spend under NAICS 611310 exceeds $40 billion, driven primarily by research grants and contracts from NIH, NSF, DOE, DoD, and NASA. Competition is intense among major universities, with top recipients capturing hundreds of millions. Most funding is awarded via grants and cooperative agreements, not traditional procurement contracts. However, for service-based work (e.g., training, curriculum development), agencies use IDIQs and BPAs. Demand is fueled by agency mission needs in health, defense, energy, and STEM education. Small businesses face an uphill battle due to the dominance of large institutions, but can succeed as subcontractors or in specialized niches.
These agencies are the largest buyers of colleges, universities and professional schools services and products in the federal government. Each awards contracts under NAICS 611310 regularly — build relationships with their small business offices first.
Focus on becoming a subcontractor to a prime university or research institute, as direct prime awards are rare for small businesses under this NAICS. Identify university research centers that align with your expertise and offer niche services like specialized training, curriculum development, or lab support. The single highest-leverage move is to secure a teaming agreement with a major research university that holds multiple agency IDIQs. Set-asides are uncommon for direct awards, but 8(a) firms can compete for set-aside contracts under agency-specific programs like DoD's STTR.
Most work is awarded via grants and cooperative agreements, not traditional contracts. For service-based work, agencies use GSA Schedule (e.g., 874 Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services), SEWP for IT training, and 8(a) STARS III for set-aside contracts. Evaluation is typically best-value, emphasizing technical approach and past performance over price. LPTA is used for standardized training services.
No specific certification is universally required, but for research grants, your institution must have a Federalwide Assurance (FWA) for human subjects research and an Animal Welfare Assurance for animal work. For service contracts, standard registrations in SAM and UEI are needed.
Award sizes vary widely. Research grants average $500K–$2M per year, but large center grants can exceed $50M. Service contracts (e.g., training) are typically smaller, $100K–$1M. Most awards are made to universities, not small businesses.
Yes, but it's rare. Most direct awards go to universities. Small businesses can prime for specialized training or consulting services, especially under set-asides like 8(a) or HUBZone. Teaming as a subcontractor is more common.
Competition is extremely high for research grants, with success rates often below 20%. For service contracts, competition is moderate, with 5–15 bidders. Small businesses face less competition in niche areas like cybersecurity training or language instruction.
Bonding is rarely required because most awards are grants or cost-reimbursement contracts. For fixed-price service contracts over $150K, performance bonds may be needed, but this is uncommon. Check each solicitation.