FPDS Query Library
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Research Description

Human-readable label for the coded Research competition value in the award record. It describes the research competition category associated with the procurement action, rather than storing the underlying code itself.

Family: Award
Category: Competition
Data Type: string
Semantic Type: description
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__competition__research__description
Title
Research Description
FPDS Path
award/competition/research/description
Description
Human-readable label for the coded Research competition value in the award record. It describes the research competition category associated with the procurement action, rather than storing the underlying code itself.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts interpret research-related competition records in FPDS without depending on abbreviated or opaque source codes. It supports classification of awards involving research programs, phase types, and related competition categories, which is useful for spend analysis, program tracking, and reporting on research procurement activity.
Example Value
SMALL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER RESEARCH PROGRAM PHASE I
Observed Non-Null Count
320,235

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__competition__research__description
FPDS XML Path
award/competition/research/description
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'award/competition/research/description' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__award__competition__research__description'.

Paired Field

Relationship
description_of
Variable
Research

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building
  • Competition and sole-source analysis

Common Usage

  • Labeling research competition categories in reporting
  • Grouping awards by research program or phase
  • Translating coded Research values into analyst-readable text

Common Mistakes

  • Using the description field as a stable code key for joins or filters
  • Assuming identical wording across records implies identical underlying codes

Query Guidance

Select this field alongside the paired Research code when reviewing records. In SQL, filter on the code for consistency and use the description for display, validation, or mapping tables; normalize text only if you need deduplication across variant labels.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__competition__research__description AS research_description
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__research__description IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

SELECT
    content__award__competition__research__description AS value,
    count() AS record_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__competition__research__description IS NOT NULL
GROUP BY value
ORDER BY record_count DESC
LIMIT 25

Each dictionary item includes SQL-ready examples generated alongside the variable metadata, allowing immediate use in FPDS Query for filtering, aggregation, and analysis.