The University of Maryland has announced that its investment in work that improves lives across the state and the nation helped propel it to No. 14 among all U.S. institutions and No. 9 among public institutions in the National Science Foundation’s latest Higher Education Research and Development survey.
Up from No. 18 overall and No. 11 among public institutions the previous year, both the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the University of Maryland, College Park, are linked as a single research enterprise in the survey.
In the Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey, the institutions receive a national benchmark for sponsored research activity.
The activity ranked research and development spending at U.S. institutions in fiscal year 2024.
According to the press release, this represents one of the highest rankings to date for the University of Maryland's R1 (Carnegie Classification) research enterprise and record combined research expenditures exceeding $1.5 billion, an increase of more than $154 million from fiscal year 2023.
“The growth of our research enterprise reflects the growing impact of our work together,” said Bruce Jarrell, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in a statement.
“Our researchers do more than advance knowledge in their fields; they work tirelessly to ensure that the discoveries they make improve the health and well-being of people worldwide. In this way, our ranking is much more than scorecard; it is a testament to the critical importance of public higher education and research institutions here in Maryland.”
UMB's 3,108 faculty members conduct leading-edge research and develop solutions and technologies that impact human health locally and around the world. More than 6,800 students, postdocs, and trainees directly benefit from working and learning alongside leading experts as they push the boundaries of their fields.
The University of Maryland, College Park, is the state's leading research university and a top 20 public institution. UMCP is propelled by a $1.4 billion joint research enterprise and is consistently ranked for its innovation, research, and academic programs. UMCP’s faculty are global leaders in their fields and include Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and members of the national academies.
“This milestone reflects the power of collaboration and a shared commitment to improving lives through research conducted at Maryland's two premier public universities,” said Darryll J. Pines, president of the University of Maryland, College Park. “By uniting College Park’s leadership in engineering, science, and technology with Baltimore’s strengths in medicine, health, and human services, we are accelerating the translation of discovery into patient care and community benefit. Our combined success in the HERD rankings affirms that when we work as one enterprise, we deliver outcomes that truly matter.”
Pines will be inducted as an NAI Fellow in 2026, according to the National Academy of Inventors. NAI Fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors.
Pines is one of 169 U.S. distinguished academic and institutional inventors and 16 International Fellows to the 2025 cohort named in the NAI list of fellows.
In 2019, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his “inspirational leadership and contributions to engineering education.”
Pines made the cover of USBE magazine's education issue when he took the helm of the University of Maryland as the 34th President. He has spent more than three decades on the College Park campus and served as both dean and professor of aerospace engineering at the Clark School.
The partnership between UMCP and UMB was further strengthened in January of 2025 with the launch of a transformative collaboration to tackle a broad spectrum of health challenges and advance medical innovation: the Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine.
The center is designed to ensure that real-world clinical needs directly inform the development of new devices, diagnostics, and treatments—accelerating the pathway from research to patient care.
“The strength of our unified research enterprise allows us to work across boundaries and turn breakthroughs into real-world solutions,” said Vice President for Research Patrick O’Shea. “Our continued growth is a testament to the talent of our faculty, the dedication of our students and staff, and the state’s strong commitment to research that delivers measurable benefits for Maryland and beyond.”