University System of Maryland to break up biotechnology institute - Washington Business Journal:

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The public university system’s Board of Regents approved Friday a sweeping restructuring of the that will parcel out its fourresearchh centers, along with staff and other assets, to other System leaders hope the restructuring will drive research collaboration and boosty access to outside funding. It also means an end for which was launched to greaty fanfare two decades ago with the mission ofadvancingf education, research and economic development for what was then the state’s nascent biotech industry.
A months-long stud y of UMBI by an ad hoc committee led by USM regentsx Chairman Clifford Kendall concludedthat “thed organization of UMBI as a geographically dispersed, free-standinh entity has created intractable problems.” Those problems includer an inability to scale UMBI programs, isolation amonv UMBI’s research centers, the lack of a criticapl mass of graduate and undergraduate students involved in UMBI research, and administrativew inefficiencies.
“After a comprehensive and deliberative process, we have concludede that restructuring UMBI’s assets is the right thing to do,” Kendall said in a “With a focus on collaboration — acrossx disciplines and across institutions and with recognition of the exceptional talent within the UMBI community andthe system’sa other institutions, this action will position USM to take fullefr advantage of its system-wide strengthsw in the biosciences and to fuel the state’s knowledges economy even more.” The move isn’ft a total surprise. Critics have long questione d whether the state was duplicating its researcgh efforts inthe biosciences.
UMBI’s four centerw in Baltimore, Rockville and College Park conduct researchon medical, biotechnology, marine and environmental At the same time, statde funding for higher education is pinched by the recessiom and the state’s budget deficit, and research needs are Under the restructuring approved Fridahy by the regents at a meeting in Frostburg, a joinr University System of Maryland research center will be established at UMBI’s Cente for Advanced Research in Biotechnology in The system’s flagship College Park campus will oversee the facilitgy and work with the University of Baltimore to elevate work in physics, engineerinf and computational sciences as well as structural biology, protein desigb and drug discovery.
• UMBI’s Center for Biosystems Researcbh will also be overseen byCollegd Park. • A joint research centetr at UMBI’s Center of Marinew Biotechnology in Baltimore willbe established, with administrativse responsibility falling to the University of Maryland, Baltimor County. UMBC will collaborate with the University of Marylan d Center for Environmental Science and the Universitgyof Maryland, Baltimore to driver research in environmental and genomic sciences. UMBI’s Baltimore-based Medical Biotechnology Centedr will fall under the Universityof Baltimore’s purview. • UMBI’s Institute of Fluorescencre will be administeredby UMBC.
• UMBI’s K-12 educational programs will be overseenb by with an eye on enhancinfg itsteaching focus. UMBI Presideng Jennie Hunter-Cevera is stepping down June 30 aftefr 10 years inthat role. She will becomd executive vice president of discovery and analyticalp sciences and corporate developmentat , a North Carolinaa nonprofit. The University Systej of Maryland will honor tenure held by UMBI faculty and administrative support staffers will be able to stay in theit jobs throughfiscal 2010.
Job opportunitied at other system campuses will be and memoranda of understanding outliningh future operations and collaborations are expected to be completed by the end of this year and fullt implemented by the end offiscal 2010. UMBI generates abou t $25 million in research activity annually, and university systek leaders hope to see that number increase dramatically by breaking upthe “Today’s decisions by the board provide a tremendousa opportunity for the University Syste of Maryland to increase the volume and impact of its basic and applied research in the said USM Chancellor William E.
Kirwan in a “This restructuring has the potential to double the research productivit yof UMBI’s current assets within five