UM-BILD is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research, Evaluation & Commercialization Hubs (REACH) program. Every four years, the NIH funds a new cohort of three to five hubs; Baltimore was selected as part of the 2023 REACH cohort.  

The four year Grant will allow UM-BILD to Spin Out New Companies, Create a Incubator Program, Provide Seed Investments,  and help with Workforce Development and Training.

Spin out new companies that are ready to apply for federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards and/or raise private capital, ultimately growing the life science economy in Baltimore. 

Short-term, UM-BILD will provide funding for 44 investigator teams trained in commercialization, forming multiple companies located in Baltimore. Long-term (over eight years), UM-BILD will double the pace of impact of UM Ventures, Baltimore programs, stimulating the creation of six companies and multiple SBIR/STTR grant applications/awards each year. The aspirational goal of UM-BILD is to create the next life-science economic center in Baltimore with the most diverse biomedical startup workforce in the US.

Create a dedicated incubator program that leverages internal core services and equipment at UMB and partner institutions. 

Innovators will have access to unique biomedical development facilities at UMB, UMBC, and the University of Maryland College, including the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Medical Device Development Lab, Ventures Wet Lab, and GLP Quality Management Systems. UM-BILD will also connect teams to local research organizations that provide additional capabilities. 

Provide seed investment and development resources for 11 early-stage technology project teams each year. 

Grant funding for these investments will be enhanced by over $5 million of committed, non-federal matching funds from the of Maryland, Baltimore, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and TEDCO’s Maryland Innovation Initiative.

Train a diverse biomedical and innovation workforce from elite scientists and innovators. 

There is a crisis in biomedical research: despite historically marginalized communities making up 34 percent of the population, these groups comprise only 15 percent of PhD graduates and four percent of tenured faculty positions in medical schools According to a poll of 9,800 founders, only three percent of venture-backed founders were Black, Hispanic, or Latino, and only nine percent were female Training a diverse biomedical and innovation workforce in West Baltimore and Greater Baltimore is a key component of UM-BILD. This will be accomplished by working closely with partner institutions to leverage existing, successful initiatives and programmatic efforts, and by engaging the elite scientists, innovators, and entrepreneurs in our region.