The University of Maryland remains a top public U.S. research institution, according to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey, widely recognized as the preeminent national ranking for universities engaged in sponsored research.
According to the latest survey, released Nov. 30, the University of Maryland placed 11th nationally among public institutions and 19th overall in research and development spending in fiscal year 2022. The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) are linked as one research enterprise in the survey and reported combined research expenditures of almost $1.23 billion, an increase of about $86 million from the previous year.
With this ranking, the state of Maryland once again joins an elite group of six states with more than one research university conducting research at or above $1 billion per year. Johns Hopkins University took the top spot in the survey this year.
“Maryland may be a small state geographically, but we are clearly a force to be reckoned with when it comes to research awards and spending,” said vice president for research Gregory F. Ball, PhD. “We are in very good company with the other prestigious universities ranked near us in this survey, and this is a true testament to our dedicated faculty and staff in both College Park and Baltimore who work tirelessly to improve the lives of people in our state, nation, and world through innovative and creative research.”
The University of Maryland conducts research in areas such as infectious and emerging diseases, genomics, xenotransplantation, vaccines, child welfare, addiction disorders, and more — employing cutting-edge science and technology including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and bio- and nano-technology.
It has expanded its broad impact in recent years through a strategic partnership called MPowering the State (MPower), which was established in 2012 and formalized as part of the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership Act of 2016. This paved the way for UMCP and UMB to combine research initiatives and leadership. Since its inception, MPower has fostered hundreds of collaborations across both universities that are growing Maryland’s innovation economy, advancing interdisciplinary research, increasing educational benefits, and addressing the state’s most critical issues.
At one of the United States’ preeminent public research universities, UMB’s investigators are driving medical, human health, life-science, societal, and legal advancements. In FY23, the University received more than $663 million in awards from both for-profit and nonprofit sponsors.
With a longstanding commitment to collaboration and partnership with the global life sciences industry, each year the University conducts over $60 million in corporate-sponsored research and, at the present time, the University is working with more than 300 bioscience and pharmaceutical firms.