- November 20, 2025
- By Maryland Today Staff
The University of Maryland on Thursday announced the creation of an $8.75 million set of Research Resilience Initiatives designed to safeguard critical research capabilities, support scholars affected by recent shifts in the federal funding landscape and bolster the university’s long-term competitiveness.
UMD will direct $5 million through the new Preserve, Pivot and Grow Program to preserve strategic institutional investments, support researchers who need to seek new funding sources, and continue to expand the university's research enterprise.
In addition, the new initiatives include $3.75 million over three years for UMD from the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower), which leverages the combined research prowess of the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).
“Over the course of the year, we have all felt the impact of a rapidly evolving federal funding environment,” said UMD President Darryll J. Pines, Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice and Vice President for Research Patrick O'Shea in a joint message to campus. “The changes have caused uncertainty and, in some cases, significant shifts for our researchers. We continue to be inspired by the perseverance of our community, and are reassured by the continued strength of our research enterprise. We must continue to invest in the people and infrastructure that make this possible.”
The $5 million program has two tracks. The first will accept proposals to support at-risk institutional capabilities that are essential to UMD’s research and education missions, as well as institutional initiatives seeking to pivot to new and sustainable sources of funding. The second track will provide short-term funding to enable a principal investigator or lab group members to sustain operations impacted by a loss or reduction of funding, or pivot their portfolio to better position them for new and sustainable funding sources.
“Research is a centerpiece of our mission and plays an essential role in our work to address the grand challenges of our time,” Pines, Rice and O’Shea said. “We take great pride in our recognition as one of the most prestigious research universities in the country. Research transforms ideas into impact, and we are positioning our research enterprise for long-term success.”
The Research Resilience Initiative announced Wednesday, the new MPower Early Scholars Investment Fund will provide a total of $7.5 million to students, postdocs and junior faculty who have felt the direct impact of recent cuts to research funding, split across UMD and UMB over three years. The investment provides $1.25 million per year to UMD during that period.
Designed as a short-term, high-impact initiative, the fund includes three tracks designed to safeguard vital research capabilities, support at-risk and early-career scholars, and protect the joint UMD-UMB research enterprise to position both universities for long-term success.
In a joint announcement on behalf of the MPower Joint Steering Council, Rice and UMB Provost and Executive Vice President Roger J. Ward said, “The MPower Early Scholars Investment Fund reflects our shared belief that investing in early scholars today will yield discoveries, innovations and creative breakthroughs that will benefit society for years to come.”