News

Published in Maryland Today, Adapted for the MPower website | December 26, 2025

The University of Maryland’s expanding investment in high-impact research—work that improves lives in communities across the state, nation and world—helped propel it to No. 14 among all U.S. institutions and No. 9 among public institutions in a National Science Foundation ranking that is the most widely recognized national benchmark for sponsored research activity.

That one-year jump of four places overall resulted in the highest showing yet for the linked research enterprise at University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) in the Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey, which ranked such spending at U.S. institutions in fiscal year 2024.  Together, they reported more than $1.5 billion in combined research expenditures, up more than $154 million from the previous year.

“This rise in the HERD rankings reflects the strength of our unified research enterprise and the deep and impactful partnership between the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore,” said Vice President for Research Patrick O’Shea. “By working in partnership across boundaries, we are accelerating discoveries that translate into real-world solutions. Our continued growth is a testament to the talent of our faculty, the dedication of our students and staff, and the state’s strong commitment to research that delivers measurable benefits for Maryland and beyond.”

That partnership was further strengthened in January with the launch of a transformative collaboration to tackle a broad spectrum of health challenges and advance medical innovation: the Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine. Located at 4MLK, a new state-of-the-art facility in the University of Maryland BioPark in Baltimore, the center is designed to ensure that real-world clinical needs directly influence the development of new devices, diagnostics, and treatments—accelerating the pathway from research to patient care.

O’Shea also pointed to the university’s leadership in rapidly growing research areas such as artificial intelligence and quantum science as key drivers of the university’s upward momentum in the HERD survey.