The NIH Path to Excellence and Innovation (PEI) Initiative was established to strengthen Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) capacity to compete for, win, and successfully manage federal contracts. Central to this effort is the HBCU Portal, designed to simplify access to NIH grants and contracts and expand institutional engagement.

In support of the PEI initiative, DSFederal designed and delivered a secure, centralized digital platform that modernizes opportunity discovery and structured engagement. a secure, centralized digital platform that modernizes opportunity discovery, structured engagement, and program oversight, enabling HBCUs to compete more effectively while supporting NIH’s broader research and workforce development mission.

The Challenge:

As NIH sought to expand HBCU participation, funding opportunities remained dispersed across multiple federal systems, requiring manual monitoring, repetitive inquiries, and time-intensive data entry.

NIH needed a secure, scalable solution that could consolidate opportunity data, streamline structured engagement between HBCUs and program offices, and provide leadership with clear visibility into participation and outcomes, all within a federally governed IT and security environment.

Our Approach:

DSFederal delivered a secure, web-based HBCU Portal that consolidates multiple federal funding sources into a single, role-based environment.

The platform supports structured engagement workflows, intuitive opportunity discovery, automated data pre-population, and real-time program visibility — all designed within NIH’s federal IT governance and security framework.

Using an Agile, user-centered approach, DSFederal ensured the system evolved with program needs, simplified participation for institutions, and provided NIH leadership with actionable insights to monitor engagement and program impact.

Advanced Search & Analytics

The solution leverages high-performance search, intelligent opportunity matching, and interactive visual dashboards to deliver personalized insights for HBCUs while providing NIH leadership with real-time visibility into participation trends and engagement outcomes.

The Outcome

The HBCU Portal now serves as a centralized “One-Stop-Shop” for NIH research and contracting opportunities, significantly reducing administrative burden while expanding institutional access. By incorporating intelligent matching capabilities, the platform helps HBCUs quickly connect with complementary partners and strengthen their pursuit of relevant opportunities.

Impact Highlights:

  • Supports 20+ HBCUs and 50+ business partners
  • Consolidates four federal funding systems into a single secure portal
  • Reduces participant data entry effort by 75%
  • Reduces NIH administrative response time by 90%

By transforming fragmented processes into a streamlined, secure digital experience, DSFederal strengthened NIH’s ability to expand equitable participation in federal research and contracting programs while improving operational efficiency and transparency.