A WORLD-CLASS UNIVERSITY POWERS THE STATE'S REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: CREATES JOBS AND IMPACT

The University is a major employer in the State, with more than 13,000 employees in 2007. As a major center of economic activity in Prince George’s County, the University attracts housing, businesses and entertainment that serve the University’s 36,000 students. The University directly serves businesses throughout the State, with entrepreneurial programs provided by the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, and agricultural and community services through Maryland Cooperative Extension. The University’s current expansion to the East Campus, the construction of the M Square Research Park, and the arrival of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity are all major accelerators of economic growth.

The University encourages its students to be part of the State’s economic expansion. Fortune Small Business magazine listed the University of Maryland as one of America’s Best Colleges for Entrepreneurs, highlighting several of the Smith School of Business’s programs, the Technology Start Up Boot Camp of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute and the Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities. This year the University of Maryland added the Hillman Entrepreneurs Program, a partnership with Prince George’s Community College that provides merit and need-based scholarships for 20 entrepreneurial-minded non-traditional students at the College who then transfer to the University. The program will add 20 Prince George’s Community College transfer students each year. The program is funded by David and Suzanne Hillman.

MTECH

The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (MTECH) continues to propel Maryland’s technology economy. By accelerating technology entrepreneurship and leveraging University resources to benefit Maryland companies, the Institute has had a $17 billion economic impact since 1984. MTECH provides a portfolio of services (including r&d funding, manufacturing solutions and contract bioprocessing) by offering multiple programs: Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS), Technology Start-Up Boot Camp, Hinman CEOs, ASPIRE, Venture Accelerator Program, Technology Advancement Program (TAP), Bioprocessing Research and Education Program, and a $50,000 Business Plan Competition. In 2007 alone, MTECH supported technology innovation in 235 Maryland companies. MTECH boasts an impact on more than 7,000 jobs since 1984.

Many prominent Maryland companies have benefited from the services MTECH offers including MedImmune, Digene, Martek Biosciences, Hughes Network Systems, and Black and Decker. Several successful companies were “born” in our incubators, including Martek, Digene, NovaBiosciences (sold for $30 million) and Powerize.com (sold for $17 million to Dun and Bradstreet, now part of Hoover’s). TAP is a leading venture incubator that partners with regional entrepreneurs to build early-stage companies by providing hands-on business support, access to funding sources, technical expertise and turn-key infrastructure. It has helped its startup companies raise $20 million since 2004 alone.

MedImmune has engaged in six research projects with University faculty through the mips program. One resulted in the production of Synagis, a drug that prevents a serious lower respiratory tract disease caused by the respiratory synctial virus, a common infection in infants. The drug has earned $6.7 billion since 1998. Another company currently supported by Maryland Industrial Partnerships, Applied Sensor Research and Development Corporation, is monitoring bridges, dams and roadways using wireless sensors that measure temperature, a key factor in concrete’s stability throughout its lifespan.

Faculty bring their own research to market through mips as well. Associate Professors Harry Swartz and Gary Coleman are working on developing the perfect strawberry by studying the genes of a plant discovered in Spain.

Students benefit immensely from MTECH programs. MTECH’s students have spawned Squarespace.com, one of the top blogging and Web publishing platforms on the Internet, lauded by both the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. Alertus Technologies was founded by University students in Hinman CEOs. The company produces a notification system to disseminate vital information during an emergency to people inside buildings. Stemming from the tornado that killed two University students on campus in 2001, the product is currently in use in 20 University buildings.

M SQUARE: UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PARK

The two-and-a-half million square foot M Square under construction near the University will require one half billion dollars of private construction to complete. The Research Park will bring new jobs and investment to the region, including space for laboratories and incubator facilities. More than 6,000 people will be employed at full build out. Businesses will come to M Square to collaborate with the College Park campus, drawing on its expertise and forging new partnerships.

The Park is the new home of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Weather and Climate Prediction. Other tenants include the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL), the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, the Joint Global Change Research Institute and the Raytheon Company. These join a thriving community that already includes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the American Center for Physics, the National Foreign Language Center, and the University of Maryland Technology Ventures building.

The new Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) will occupy another building being specially designed for it in the Research Park. The decision to locate iarpa in M Square highlights the quality of research on the campus and the high potential for collaboration with diverse faculty. Charged with developing groundbreaking technologies for the U.S. intelligence community, IARPA will be another economic driver, bringing together government, academia and the private sector, and creating jobs and developing technology to improve our national and economic security. Modeled after the military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), IARPA will support groundbreaking intelligence research.

EAST CAMPUS EXPANSION

The 38 acres of East Campus will complement the Research Park, serving the campus and the needs of the community. It will create jobs and attract new businesses to College Park. The anticipated $700 million investment will provide graduate housing, market rate housing, office space, hotel and retail amenities in a new urban center. The project is steaming ahead with the selection of a developer, Foulger-Pratt /Argo, the creation of a 40-member steering committee for local input, and the Birchmere’s decision to open a 500-seat, state-of-the-art music venue there. These attractions support continued recruitment of the most talented faculty and students to the campus, and stimulate economic growth in the communities surrounding the area.

SUSTAINABILITY AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Many dedicated University faculty, staff and business leaders are actively collaborating in “greening” the Washington metro area. A national conference, “Climate Information: Responding to User Needs,” a partnership between the University of Maryland, NOAA, NASA and the American Meteorological Society, created dialogue between scientists and diverse user communities, including businesses, policy makers, farmers and public health officials, on user needs.

The second national Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference addressed growth, energy, transportation, waste management and relationships with local communities. The conference brought together University and College representatives with leaders in sustainability, finance and business.

President C.D. Mote, Jr., joined Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine for a region-wide Potomac Conference to plan for regional greening. Sponsored by the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the conference was a forum for industry and government leaders to assess how the area can make use of its unique resources in confronting climate change.