The Office of Research and Development (ORD) is the chief administrative unit and catalyst for advancing research and economic development at UMB.

One of the United States’ pre-eminent public research universities, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and its investigators are driving medical, human health, life-science, societal, and legal advancements. In FY2023, the University received more than $663 million in awards from both for-profit and non-profit sponsors. With a longstanding commitment to collaboration and partnership with the global life-sciences industry, each year the University conducts over $60 million in corporate-sponsored research and, at the present time, the University is working with more than 300 bioscience and pharmaceutical firms.

ORD’s three departments — Clinical Trials and Corporate Contracts, Sponsored Programs Administration, and Technology Transfer — provide a range of high-quality, comprehensive services to investigators. The specialized teams help foster new research and clinical initiatives with industry, federal, state, and other non-profit sponsors, secure and administer research funding, protect discoveries, and push innovations to market.

The team also manages a variety of collaborative initiatives — such as the Maryland Momentum Fund and the Baltimore Fund — that encourage economic development in Baltimore City.

The UM BioPark
The UM BioPark, UMB’s 14-acre research park managed by ORD, draws industry-leading biotech and life-science firms from around the world. Located adjacent to UMB’s campus, BioPark tenant companies are able to easily collaborate with UMB’s renowned researchers, centers of excellence, and institutes.