- March 04, 2026
- By Maryland Today Staff
Eighty-two projects spanning more than 30 disciplines will split $5.25 million as part of the University of Maryland’s new Research Resilience Initiatives.
These initiatives, announced in December, are designed to preserve key institutional capabilities, support at-risk faculty and junior scholars, and position UMD’s research enterprise for sustainable future growth.
“We received an extraordinary response across campus, with submissions that showcase a collective commitment to bolstering impactful research,” Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice and Vice President for Research Gregory F. O’Shea wrote in a joint message to faculty announcing the awardees on Tuesday. “The volume and quality of proposals made clear just how much innovative and important work is happening across our university, and made for an inspiring and highly competitive review process.”
The Research Resilience Initiatives focus on two primary areas: sustaining essential research capabilities and investing in the next generation of scholars.
Through the Preserve, Pivot and Grow Program, UMD is making investments to protect critical research infrastructure and help faculty adapt and expand their work. The first track, Strategic Institutional Investments, is supporting seven awards totaling $2.4 million distributed across six colleges. The At-Risk Faculty Members and Lab Groups track is supporting 18 awards totaling approximately $900,000 across eight colleges.
These awards are designed to maintain momentum in key areas of scholarship, safeguard research teams and facilities, and enable faculty to pivot or expand their work in response to emerging opportunities and challenges.
The MPower Early Scholars Investment Fund, co-funded by UMD and the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State, supports early-career researchers at important stages in their academic trajectories. These awards include:
- Junior tenure-track Faculty: 20 awards totaling $1 million across nine colleges.
- Graduate students: 31 awards totaling $750,000 across seven colleges.
- Postdoctoral fellows: six awards totaling $225,000 across five colleges.
By investing in scholars at the beginning of their careers, the program strengthens UMD’s long-term research capacity and reinforces its commitment to mentoring and academic excellence.
“The breadth of the work represented reflects the strength of our research community and shared commitment to sustaining excellence, even when barriers arise,” Rice and O’Shea wrote. “We look forward to seeing how these projects advance UMD’s research enterprise and strengthen our collective public impact.”
The university plans to issue a second round of funding this spring.