University of Hawaii at Manoa

What University of Hawaii at Manoa does

The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa is a public research university and the flagship campus of the University of Hawai'i System, founded in 1907 and located on the 300-plus-acre Mānoa campus in Honolulu, O'ahu. It is one of fewer than a dozen U.S. land-, sea-, and space-grant institutions, ranks in the top 2% globally for research excellence, and is ranked top 15 internationally in earth and environmental sciences. The university serves undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across colleges and schools including medicine (John A. Burns), law (William S. Richardson), business (Shidler), nursing, and tropical agriculture, alongside international scholars and Pacific-region healthcare patients served by its clinical programs such as the only 24/7 emergency hyperbaric treatment facility in the Pacific (2,132 treatments in 2024).

The research portfolio spans deep-sea observation (first-ever live goblin shark footage at natural depths), AI/robotics (vision-language-action agriculture models supported by NVIDIA, human-robot interaction funded by Google), energy visualization (HAVEN 3D platform), microalgae synthetic biology using CRISPR/Cas9, earthquake-cycle physics modeling, thermostable filovirus vaccines, and student-developed space hardware (Project PETAL, a NASA RASC-AL finalist). Technology delivery relies on faculty-led research labs, federally funded centers, and conference infrastructure including the 59th Hawai'i International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), which hosted 1,300+ scholars from 42+ countries in January 2026.

Revenue is generated through four documented streams: tuition and fees across in-state, out-of-state, and graduate/professional tiers; federal and state research grants and contracts (NIH, NASA, NSF, USDA, DOE, CEPI); clinical and professional services led by JABSOM's Hyperbaric Treatment Center; and space/engineering services via student-led space technology development. Headcount sits at 1,001–5,000 employees. The institution operates as a non-profit state entity within the University of Hawai'i System, governed by the Board of Regents and funded through state appropriations, tuition, grants, and philanthropic gifts channeled via the UH Foundation.

Name

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Legal name

University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

Website

https://manoa.hawaii.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa is a public research university founded in 1907 serving undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in Honolulu while operating federally funded research in marine science, AI/robotics, tropical agriculture, and biomedical fields across the Pacific region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) (EDAHAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI), Academic Medical Centers & Teaching Hospitals (University-Affiliated) (EDAHAGAA)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Degree programs
• Research university
• Graduate education
• Professional studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Core revenue from undergraduate, graduate, and professional student tuition and fees across diverse academic programs including medicine, law, architecture, and continuing education.
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Federal and state research funding from agencies including NASA, NIH, NSF, USDA, DOE, and CEPI supporting faculty research across marine science, tropical agriculture, AI/robotics, biomedical, and environmental disciplines.
3. Clinical Services (John A. Burns School of Medicine): Revenue from hyperbaric oxygen therapy and other clinical programs serving patients with conditions including decompression sickness, radiation therapy complications, and diabetic wounds.
4. Space Mission and Engineering Services: Revenue from student-led space technology development including nuclear-powered lunar energy systems advancing through NASA's RASC-AL competition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is a public research university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs across diverse disciplines including medicine, law, architecture, business, nursing, and tropical agriculture. It also conducts funded research in marine biology, climate science, AI and robotics, biomedical sciences, and tropical agriculture, and operates clinical services such as the Hyperbaric Treatment Center. The institution is one of fewer than a dozen land-, sea-, and space-grant universities in the United States.

Product overview

University of Hawai'i at Mānoa is a research-intensive university offering educational programs across multiple colleges and schools, with substantial technology and research product offerings. Key research products include HAVEN (energy visualization platform), AinaFarm (AI agriculture robotics), and the Hyperbaric Treatment Center (clinical service). The university also supports space technology development through Project PETAL, chemical synthesis research, and cybersecurity professional development programs. These offerings span research platforms, clinical services, educational technology, and space exploration capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs
• Graduate and Professional Degree Programs
• Study Abroad and International Exchange Programs
• Continuing Education Programs
• Hyperbaric Treatment Center

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 15 globally in earth and environmental sciences research rankings
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026NASA partnership through the RASC-AL competition where UH students developed Project PETAL, a nuclear-powered energy system for lunar missions using small nuclear reactors with heat stored underground in vaults made from lunar soil. The project advanced as one of 14 finalists nationally, with technology also designed for potential Mars use. This represents a flagship student research partnership with NASA supporting next-generation space exploration capabilities.
• University of BerncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Collaborative research with the University of Bern, USGS Earthquake Science Center, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography on tectonic stress along Southern California's San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems. The peer-reviewed study, published June 3 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, found stress levels at their highest recorded point in a millennium using physics-based earthquake cycle models.
• CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2026CEPI is evaluating funding applications from Soligenix, Inc. to develop a thermostable subunit vaccine against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus (BDBV). The application leverages prior work conducted in collaboration with researchers at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (Dr. Axel Lehrer) on filovirus vaccines demonstrating thermostability and 100% protection in non-human primates. The platform has shown compatibility with Bundibugyo antigen and thermostable formulations stable for at least two years at 40°C.
• Soligenix, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2026Biopharmaceutical collaboration with Soligenix on thermostable protein-based vaccine development. UH Mānoa researchers led by Dr. Axel Lehrer have demonstrated up to 100% protection in non-human primates against Ebola, Sudan, and Marburg viruses. The partnership leverages the ThermoVax thermostabilization platform for rapid vaccine development against emerging filovirus threats including the Bundibugyo virus outbreak.
• GooglecoreTechnology or Integration · 31 March 2026Google provided a $50,000 research gift to support AI and robotics work led by Assistant Professor Huaijin Chen. Research focuses on robotic perception applications including health-related human-robot interaction for older adults with mild cognitive impairment, 3D tactile sensing for machines, and agricultural robotics. The funding supports graduate and undergraduate student researchers, equipment, computing resources, and training in robotics, computer vision, and AI.
• Hawai'i State Energy OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026Partnership with the Hawai'i State Energy Office to expand the Hawai'i Advanced Visualization Energy Nexus (HAVEN) system — an interactive 3D platform for energy infrastructure planning and resilience decisions. The $1.8 million federal grant supports integration of AI capabilities and workforce development for UH graduate students, enabling policymakers and communities to visualize energy scenarios and assess land-use tradeoffs.
• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or Integration · 14 January 2026NVIDIA selected UH Mānoa for support through its Academic Grant Program for the AinaFarm AI agriculture project. NVIDIA is donating RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPUs and Jetson AGX Orin compact supercomputers to support research led by Assistant Professor Huaijin Chen in collaboration with Professor Daniel Jenkins, exploring how robotics and AI can support agriculture using vision-language-action models for Hawai'i's farming environments.
• Nicolaus Copernicus University (Poland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research collaboration with Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland on microalgae synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, including the use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tools to optimize microalgae for producing biofuels, renewable jet fuel, medicines, and nutrition. Research funded by the National Science Foundation and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
• Hawai'i Water Environment AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hawai'i Water Environment Association provided a $30,000 donation to upgrade UH Mānoa's environmental engineering lab with a state-of-the-art gas chromatograph system. The new equipment enhances capacity to analyze greenhouse gases and other environmental compounds for research, regulatory compliance, and student education, while fostering collaboration between UH and water environment professionals statewide.
• The Queen's Health SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFDA-funded research collaboration with The Queen's Health Systems examining diabetes clinical trial participation among Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino communities. The study of 56 hospitalized patients found that while 84% expressed willingness to participate, most had never been asked, identifying barriers including mistrust, concerns about medication risks, and lack of understanding.
• Hawai'i Tourism AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHawai'i Tourism Authority partnership investing over $1 million since 2019 in the Ho'oilina Scholarship program, offering $12,000 annually for four years to five high school seniors pursuing a travel industry management degree at UH Mānoa. Recipients must maintain a 3.0 GPA, complete cultural courses, fulfill 200 hours of community service, and commit to an industry internship. The program supports education and preserves Hawaiian culture within the visitor industry.
• MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with MBARI on deep-sea species discovery; a team from SUNY Geneseo in collaboration with scientists from University of Montana and University of Hawai'i at Mānoa confirmed discovery of new snailfish species documented during MBARI's 2019 expedition in Monterey Canyon at a depth of 3,268 meters.
• The Kahala Hotel & ResortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Kahala Hotel & Resort for the annual Ambassador L.W. 'Bill' Lane Jr. and Mrs. Jean Lane Jr. Lecture on Sustainability hosted by the School of Travel Industry Management in the Shidler College of Business. The event, attended by approximately 100 people including students, faculty, and local business and tourism community members, explored regenerative tourism and sustainable business practices in Hawai'i.
• Kualoa Ranch Private Nature ReserveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Kualoa Ranch Private Nature Reserve as a panelist in the annual Ambassador L.W. 'Bill' Lane Jr. and Mrs. Jean Lane Jr. Lecture on Sustainability, exploring how the islands can balance economic vitality with environmental and cultural stewardship through regenerative tourism practices.
• Hawai'i Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Hawai'i Department of Health and consulting firm RSM US to develop a data dashboard using machine learning to identify adverse events for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Built on Microsoft systems, the dashboard integrates Medicaid claims and case-management data to help staff detect unreported injuries or hospitalizations among 3,600 participants statewide, with an additional AI component in development.
• Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative deep-sea research with the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Center resulting in the first-ever live footage of a goblin shark in its natural habitat. One sighting was recorded during an Ocean Exploration Trust expedition on the M/V Nautilus near Jarvis Island and Palmyra Atoll in 2019, and another in the Tonga Trench in 2024. Findings published in the Journal of Fish Biology.
• AARP Hawai'iminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with AARP Hawai'i on a housing needs report projecting that Hawai'i will need nearly 60,000 additional housing units by 2050, with 44,000 for residents age 65 or older. The analysis, based on 2024 U.S. Census data and conducted by consulting firm Econorthwest, warns that the housing shortage is pushing younger residents off the islands.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Oregon State University: One of the few other U.S. land-, sea-, and space-grant institutions, making it the most directly comparable peer on research-mission structure. Shares deep strengths in marine sciences, forestry/agriculture, and earth sciences, with similar federal-grant-driven funding model.
• University of California, Berkeley: Public flagship research university with a top-2% global ranking, a major academic medical center affiliate, and similarly broad federal research portfolio. Comparable on scale, prestige, and the mix of land-grant–style public mission with elite research output.
• University of Washington: Public research university serving as the Pacific Northwest's flagship, with major NIH funding, an academic medical center, and comparable environmental/marine science research strengths. Anchored in Seattle, UH Mānoa plays a similar anchor role across the broader Pacific.
• University of Michigan: Large public research university with affiliated academic medical center, multi-billion-dollar research enterprise, and similarly diversified federal-grant portfolio. Comparable on the breadth of schools (medicine, law, nursing, engineering, business) and research intensity.
• Texas A&M University: Land-, sea-, and space-grant university with comparable scale (~50,000+ students), strong agricultural and engineering research portfolios, and significant federal-grant activity. Similar mission breadth and NASA/DOD engagement.
• Pennsylvania State University: Land-grant flagship with a multi-campus system including Penn State Hershey Medical Center and global/online programs. Comparable on land-grant research identity, medical-school footprint, and continuing/online education revenue.
• University of Florida: Public research university with an integrated academic medical center (UF Health) and top-tier ranking in earth/environmental sciences. Similar mix of climate, agricultural, and biomedical research supported by NIH, USDA, and DOE funding.
• Cornell University: Land-grant institution with a college of agriculture and life sciences, strong federal grant portfolio, and academic medical center (Weill Cornell). Comparable on tropical/agriculture-adjacent research identity and translation into biotech commercialization.

Regional players

• University of Hawai'i at Hilo: Sister campus within the same University of Hawai'i System, offering undergraduate and select graduate programs. Closest institutional peer under common governance, sharing the Hawaiian Place of Learning mission and overlapping research areas in Hawaiian ecology and indigenous studies.

Emerging players

• Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UC San Diego): Leading oceanographic research unit with whom UH Mānoa collaborates on fault-zone and deep-sea research. Comparable on marine-science R&D scale, NOAA/Navy funding exposure, and graduate-program integration, though embedded in a larger university.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UHManoa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniversityofHawaii
• Facebookfacebook.com/uhmanoa
• Instagraminstagram.com/uhmanoanews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Hawaii at Manoa