The University of Maryland Strategic Partnership combines the strengths of the UMB and College Park campuses to spark innovation, strengthen the state’s workforce, and drive economic development.
This story is one in a series about the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) contributions to U.S. history as the nation celebrates its 250th birthday this year. The stories will be featured on The Elm website and in The Elm Weekly newsletter. The series also can be read at the UMB Celebrates America at 250 website.
As the nation marks 250 years of American independence, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is reflecting on the partnerships and innovations that have helped shape Maryland’s future. Few initiatives better embody that spirit than the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower).
Established by the state of Maryland in 2012, MPower brought together two of the state’s flagship public research institutions, UMB and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). This collaboration was formed with a bold vision: to leverage the complementary strengths of both universities to accelerate discovery, strengthen Maryland’s workforce, drive economic development, and improve the lives of Marylanders.
Nearly 15 years later, MPower stands as a model of how public institutions can work together to address society’s most pressing challenges. Through hundreds of collaborative projects, shared academic programs, research initiatives, and community partnerships, MPower has demonstrated that some of the most significant advances occur when expertise crosses traditional boundaries.
For UMB, MPower has been particularly transformative, expanding opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration while amplifying the University’s longstanding strengths in health sciences, public service, law, social work, and community engagement.
One of the partnership’s most ambitious achievements is the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC), located in Montgomery County’s growing life sciences corridor. Launched through a collaboration among UMB, UMCP, the University of Maryland Medical System, and the county, the institute combines biomedical research, artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and one of the nation’s most diverse clinical data networks to advance patient care and health outcomes.
The institute exemplifies the strengths each university brings to the partnership. UMB contributes world-class expertise in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry, law, and public health, while UMCP contributes nationally recognized strengths in computing, engineering, artificial intelligence, and data science. Together, they are building a learning health system capable of identifying new treatments, predicting disease, and transforming the way health care is delivered across Maryland and beyond.
But MPower’s impact extends far beyond laboratories and research facilities.
As presidents of the University of Maryland, College Park, and UMB, respectively, Darryll J. Pines, PhD, MS, (left) and Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, are co-leaders of the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership.
Among the partnership’s most important community-focused initiatives is the Support, Advocacy, Freedom, and Empowerment (SAFE) Center. With MPower support, the SAFE Center has expanded its ability to serve survivors of human trafficking and related forms of exploitation while conducting research, training professionals, and developing evidence-based approaches to prevention and intervention.
The center has become a national leader in addressing one of society’s most complex and often hidden challenges, demonstrating how academic partnerships can create meaningful change for vulnerable populations.
Expanding Collaboration and Innovation
MPower also has strengthened Maryland’s innovation ecosystem through programs that support entrepreneurship, commercialization, and workforce development. Initiatives such as UM Ventures help move discoveries from university laboratories into the marketplace, creating new companies, attracting investment, and generating jobs throughout the state. Other MPower programs support emerging researchers, interdisciplinary scholarship, and collaborative teaching, helping ensure that Maryland remains competitive in an increasingly knowledge-driven economy.
Perhaps most importantly, MPower reflects a uniquely American ideal: Public institutions can achieve more together than they can alone.
Throughout the nation’s history, progress has often depended on partnerships that bring different perspectives, skills, and resources together in pursuit of a common purpose. MPower embodies that principle. By uniting the strengths of Maryland’s leading public research universities, the initiative has created opportunities that neither institution could have achieved independently.
For UMB, the partnership has provided a platform to extend its impact beyond Baltimore while remaining deeply connected to its mission of improving the human condition and serving the public good. For UMCP, it has opened new pathways to apply technological and scientific expertise to real-world challenges. For Maryland, it has created an engine for innovation, discovery, and economic growth.
Collaboration Is Key
As America moves forward from its 250th birthday celebration, MPower serves as a reminder that the future is built through collaboration. Whether advancing artificial intelligence in health care, supporting survivors of exploitation, launching new businesses, or training the next generation of leaders and innovators, the partnership continues to demonstrate the power of public higher education to strengthen communities and improve lives.
In the years ahead, the challenges facing Maryland and the nation will undoubtedly evolve. Yet the foundation established through MPower — collaboration, innovation, and service — will remain essential to meeting them.
That enduring commitment to partnership is not only a hallmark of MPower, but also a reflection of the values that have helped shape America for 250 years.