Reflecting a campus trend, the Clark School's research funding jumped from $111 million to $171 million over the past year.

"This spike in research funding earned by our professors demonstrates the Clark School's ability to address the critical research needs of major funding sources in energy, healthcare, defense and homeland security, space exploration, transportation and other issues," stated Clark School Dean Darryll Pines.

The University of Maryland, College Park's research funding total of $518 million is the most ever for a Maryland public university and represents a $117 million (nearly 30 percent) increase from the previous year's $401 million. The Clark School’s research funding is the largest portion of the university total.

A study by the Sage Policy Group shows the annual economic impact to the state of the University of Maryland, College Park is over $3.4 billion, with more than 23,000 jobs supported. The report, which was commissioned by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., shows that the university returns more than $8 to the state for every $1 the state invests in it. Each year the University of Maryland, College Park graduates the state's largest number of scientific, business, life science, engineering and technology students and figures show that every graduating UMCP class represents $500 million in increased lifetime earnings.