The University System of Maryland Board of Regents has approved a collaboration between the University of Maryland, College Park and University of Maryland, Baltimore, called MPowering the State.

"The new working relationship will leverage the resources of these two great universities to serve students better; attract even more exceptional faculty and researchers; and boost research, technology transfer and commercialization," said UMD President Wallace Loh.

Among the partnership's components are:

-- Establishing University of Maryland Ventures to promote technology transfer and commercialization, taking discoveries and innovations from the campus laboratories to the marketplace.

-- Combining the research efforts at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research -- a joint UMB-UMCP institute -- at the Universities at Shady Grove in Montgomery County with new educational programs in health, law, human services and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), business, and the social sciences. USG is one of the university system's two higher education regional centers.

-- Creating a Collaborative School of Public Health resulting from combining the Master of Public Health (MPH) Program at UMCP and the MPH Program in Baltimore.

-- Development of new educational offerings and activities including the University of Maryland Scholars Program, through which students from each institution will engage in research led by faculty at the other institution.

-- Implementation of a process to facilitate joint appointments and joint grant submissions.