2 UMD Spinoffs Part of $6.95M in State Grants Awarded to Support ‘Innovation Infrastructure’

Projects by two University of Maryland-linked companies were funded as part of a group of grants worth $6.95 million through the Build Our Future Grant Pilot Program, designed to support innovation infrastructure development in eligible technology sectors.

“Maryland will win the decade by making strategic investments in high-growth sectors,” Gov. Wes Moore said in announcing the funding Wednesday. “The latest round of Build Our Future grants provides key infrastructure funding to projects supporting life sciences, clean tech, cybersecurity and agriculture. Today's announcement marks an important continuation of our longstanding work to grow our economy, create jobs and leave no one behind.”

The Build Our Future Grant Program—part of the Governor’s Innovation Economy Infrastructure Act of 2023​—provides grants of up to $2 million to private companies, nonprofit entities and local governments, as well as colleges and universities.

The UMD-linked grants total $1.1 million:

• $1,000,000 – HighT-Tech, a spinoff of UMD and Johns Hopkins University, will use the grant for construction of a pilot manufacturing infrastructure to commercialize a novel, electrified, rapid high-temperature manufacturing process to disrupt the production of clean-tech material, including advanced batteries and hydrogen electrolyzers.

• $98,000 – Silvec Biologics, an agricultural biotech company licensing UMD technology, will expand an existing 6,000-square-foot facility—which includes offices, wet labs and plant growth space—allowing for 10 new jobs over two to three years. The company is working to develop an RNA therapy to immunize trees, vines and bushes against deadly viral and bacterial pathogens.