Announcing the Pivot Strategic Investment Initiative
Dear UMB Community,
We are pleased to announce that the University System of Maryland Board of Regents has granted approval to the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) to establish the Pivot Strategic Investment Initiative.
Totaling up to $33 million in research support over two years, this initiative aims to protect critical biomedical research while positioning UMB for continued growth in the current federal research funding environment.
The Pivot Strategic Investment Initiative has four components:
- Up to $10 million in total funding will support what was previously referred to as Bridge Funding in the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). This component — which is already underway — offers support to individual UMSOM investigators who have been negatively affected by changes in the federal funding landscape.
- The second component (up to $12 million in total funding) will support specific programmatic initiatives that have been particularly hard-hit by the changes in federal research funding: Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, Institute of Human Virology, Institute for Genome Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Combined, these units represent more than 40 percent of all UMSOM research award dollars and have achieved notable real-world impact.
- The third component (up to $6 million in total funding) is aimed at supporting additional programmatic initiatives as departments, institutes, and centers across UMB pivot toward meritorious research ideas that either align with the current federal government’s research and development priorities or enable them to compete for non-federal funding sponsors, such as private foundations or nonprofit organizations.
- The fourth component (up to $5 million in total funding) is aimed at strengthening certain infrastructure capabilities within UMB to allow investigators to compete for new and diverse sources of funding. Examples include infrastructure to support new partnerships with industry, expedited outpatient clinical trials, or military medicine research.
Because federal funding cuts have disproportionately affected UMSOM, a significant portion of the Pivot Strategic Investment Initiative funds will support UMSOM programs. Information on how biomedical researchers in other UMB schools can apply for funds available through this initiative will be shared via the deans soon.
As a reminder, in addition to the Pivot Strategic Investment Initiative, the MPower Early Scholars Investment Fund offers opportunities for support for emerging researchers. We continue to explore new pathways to drive the long-term expansion of research across our University.
We are excited to share more about the Pivot Strategic Investment Initiative in the coming weeks. UMSOM will soon issue guidance for its faculty, and non-UMSOM faculty will receive additional details regarding an application mechanism made available through the Office of the Provost. Please note, for both UMSOM and non-UMSOM faculty, all requests for Pivot Strategic Investment Initiative funding must be directed through the dean of your school. All recommendations for funding awards from the deans will be reviewed and approved by the president.
Together, we remain committed to supporting the people and programs that drive biomedical research and discovery at UMB. This work is central to our University’s mission and fundamental to the advancement of human health everywhere.
Sincerely,
Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
President
Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA
Provost and Executive Vice President
