Maryland E-Nnovation initiative provides matching funds for tech-focused research endowments

Four Maryland colleges are expanding tech-focused programming with funding from a state program.

The Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund was created to spur research in scientific and technical fields at colleges and universities in the state.

In all, the research chairs are being created with $6.7 million – $4 million that was raised by the schools in private funding, and $2.7 million in matching grants from the state fund. The program is in its fourth year, and has resulted in $34 million in funding.

According to the Maryland Department of Commerce, which administers the program, the institutions receiving funding this year include:

• MICA’s Center for Social Design is expanding a post-graduate program which embeds equity-focused designers into heatlthcare and public health institutions across the state. It received $500,000 in matching funds to create an endowment for the Design & Health Initiative.
• Towson University will create the Cyber Education and Resource Center. The award of $500,000 from the state will be combined with a private contribution to create the Towson University E-Nnovation Endowed Professorship for a faculty member within TU’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences. It builds on the university’s recognition by NSA as a cyber center.
• University of Maryland, College Park received a contribution to its Clark Leadership Chair in data analytics. The chair, which is also funded by the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, will focus on computer science and mathematics, as well as research areas where data analytics is applied.
• Washington College is creating a directorship in the GIS program to help it expand throughout the Chestertown liberal arts college’s curriculum and open up new economic development opportunities. It’s funded by $1 million from E-novation, and matched by $1 million from The Hodson Trust.