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Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board

William E. Kirwan, USM Chancellor

Wednesday September 24, 2008

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• Workforce– First in the percentage of the population 25 and older with a graduate or

professional degree– First in the total number of doctoral scientists and engineers as a percentage of

total employment

• Strength in Research and Development (R&D) – Second nationally in federal obligations for research and development

• On a per capita basis, Maryland ranks first in federal R&D obligations– First in the nation in NIH research and development contract awards – UMCP, UMB, UMBC, JHU & Mont. College: Research Parks Maryland

• First-of-its kind cooperative association representing our entire state – USM extramural research funding exceeded $1 billion last year

• More than $500 million in the life sciences

• Federal Research Facilities– NIH, NIST, FDA, NASA, etc.

Maryland’s “New Economy” Strengths

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• Dramatic rise in key “life science” degrees issued by USM over past five years – Biological Sciences

– Chemistry

– Health Professions

• Up about 30 percent across the board– Bachelor’s degrees up 28%

– Master’s degrees up 32%

– Doctoral / First Professional up 26%

USM Life Science ProgressDegrees Issued

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USM Life Science ProgressCapital Projects

• In the proposed 10-year CIP, significant support for instructional space in the sciences, including the life sciences. – Chemistry Building Renovation at UMCP ($71 million)– Smith Hall Addition/Renovation at TU ($124 million) – Natural Science Lab/Crawford Science Building Expansion at Bowie State

University ($96 million)– Health Sciences Facility III at UMB ($400 million)– Pharmacy Hall Addition / Renovation at UMB ($78 million)

• This follows on the heels of recently completed capital projects in support of life sciences research – UMBI's Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB II) at the

Shady Grove Life Sciences Center ($60 million)– UMCP's New Biosciences Research Building ($63 million)

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• Importance of nano-bio– A trillion-dollar industry in a decade, employing 2 million people

– Maryland can be a global leader• strength in medical science and engineering

• USM Office & USM institutions worked closely with DBED for a number of years to create a nano-bio fund– To recruit top talent and provide seed funding for promising new

research efforts

• Faculty supported by the Nano-Bio fund have submitted 81 proposals to 20 different outside funding entities – More than $7 million in funding to date with $26 million pending

USM Life Science ActionsNano-Bio Fund

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• Consortium of Maryland higher education resources acting to facilitate and encourage drug discovery and development– Targeting the entire discovery and development cycle

• basic research, clinical and regulatory support, manufacturing, and workforce training

• Four UM campuses—UMCP, UMB, UMBC, and UMBI—along with JHU, Montgomery College, and CCBC– Strong marketing tool to assist bioscience companies in Maryland

wishing to access university resources and to attract companies

• See this as a model of higher education collaboration & cooperation

USM Life Science ActionsDrug Discovery and Development Network

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• The same four USM institutions—UMCP, UMB, UMBC, and UMBI—also serve on the Innovation and Commercialization Group

• ICG is a Regents Work Group focused on the wide range of issues pertaining to the Innovation and Commercialization of USM assets:– Best practices, Collaborations, Metrics, etc.

• The System Office organizes the ICG – And participation is open to any interested USM institution

USM Life Science ActionsInnovation and Commercialization Group

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• Chaired by Dan Mote and charged with studying: – Areas of research important to economic growth where USM

and Maryland have a strategic advantage due to a critical mass of top talent

– Strategies to build the areas identified into centers of excellence on an international scale

– Strategies to increase USM’s and Maryland’s capacity to do translational research and build the knowledge based economy

– State policies that would support the knowledge based economy in Maryland as well as benchmarks to measure Maryland’s progress toward that goal

• There is also a “parallel” group—The Presidential Task Force on the STEM Workforce—chaired by Bob Caret

USM Life Science ActionsPresidential Task Force on Research

and Economic Competitiveness

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• USM and the FDA will identify priorities and topics of mutual interest such as: – Exchanges between university faculty and staff and FDA

scientists and staff

– Educational opportunities for students, staff, and faculty

– Joint meetings for education and research

– Research collaborations

– Cooperative international activities and outreach

– Sharing of facilities and equipment for increased cost efficiencies for scientific endeavors

• By sharing resources and talents, MOU will open up new areas of discovery, funding, and cooperation

USM Life Science ActionsMOU with FDA

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• Currently being re-written

• Will have a significant research component– Recognizing research as an important element of

Maryland’s overall economic and educational future

• USM and USM Institutions involved– Need to make sure YOUR voice is heard as they make

progress toward their new plan

Next StepsMHEC’s 5-year plan