According to statistical data from the National Science Foundation, federally and non-federally funded research and development to higher education has been on the decline since 2011. In 2014 all R&D expenditures in higher education topped out at just over $67B. FY2014 contract dollars were $445B, with 64% of that distributed by the Department of Defense. Universities house enormous capabilities and those who have understood the contracting business have done very well. In this presentation we will discuss the opportunities that come from seeking contracts from the federal government. We will explore the establishment of the Alabama A&M Research, Innovation, Science, and Engineering (AAMU-RISE) Foundation and the steps taken to build this R&D contracting operation with a university setting from the ground up. We will discuss the establishment of the Knowledge Sharing Center, created to help other universities learn the steps involved in government contracting. Finally we will discuss the how the fifteen HBCUs that have ABET accredited Engineering programs can work together to benefit from the funding available through contract based R&D.