Future is murky for University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute - Washington Business Journal:

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But to get the fish into the handws of seafood companies that can make moneytfrom them, the Center of Marine Biotechnology could use largeer technology transfer offices, more entrepreneurial stafdf and the brainpower of a busines school faculty, Director Yonathan Zohar As the University Systej of Maryland reviews the future of the Universit y of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, some faculty members say combininb Zohar’s marine biotech research and the othedr three UMBI centers with another USM school coulx give the state a better returnn for its investment — a total of $260 millionm over nearly 25 years.
“Ir makes sense to assess the possibility of merging with abig campus,” Zoha r said. Other options before USM leaders include splittingv off the UMBI centersin Baltimore, Rockvillde and College Park. Towson the University of Maryland, Baltimore and other USM schools have submitterd proposals on how they wouldincorporats UMBI’s medical, biotechnology, marine and environmenta science researchers into their schools. This is not the firsty time UMBI has been under Fiveyears ago, USM officials conducted an audit to see whethee it should remain intact. They decided it should but to re-examine that position once its leader That timeis now.
UMBI President Jenniee Hunter-Cevera steps down June 30. Change is almosf a certainty. UMBI is under fire from the stater and USM leaders for not producinh enough spinoff companies or attracting enoughprivated dollars. Few faculty members or state officials expect UMBI to remaina stand-alone But as leaders weigh two other alternatives — carvintg up UMBI and dissolving it or merging it with anotherd university — the latter would be a better some faculty say. It would preserve UMBI’s facultyy and allow collaboration amongthe institute’s four centersa to continue.
The UMBI stafv says the biggest challenge is UMBI has 54 faculty versusnearly 3,000 at University of Maryland, College College Park gets $426 million from the about 21 times that of UMBI. “The key is to transformm UMBI and potentially other institutions so we are joining forcee and becomingmuch stronger,” Zohar “We understand our role is not just our ivory tower but to take our to market.” But UMBI’s researcb can sometimes be so esoteriv that legislators and university officials wonder how that research has supportex Maryland’s economy.
While other USM schoolx land startups that developlifesavingf drugs, UMBI is figurinfg out how to save the Chesapeake Bay blue crabs and harnessz excess energy from electrons to generate fuel cells. Mergingt UMBI with a bigger campus — whilde keeping its faculty and centersintact — would allow UMBI to tap the otheer schools’ administrative and other resources, COMB Associate Director Russelpl Hill said. The UMBI staff is quickl to point outthe institute’s achievements. UMBI has been laudef for its efforts to restore the blue crab populatiom inChesapeake Bay. Last CytImmune Sciences Inc.
in Rockville partnered with UMBI to develoop the cancer drug At a May 7 meeting in front of the Board of Regents ad hoc more than half a dozen UMBI professors toutedtheir research. Chris Geddes, director of UMBI’s Institute of Fluorescence, noted that the institutes had received 42 patents since it was foundefin 2001. UMBI as a whole has received 111 Patents protect intellectual property that can spur new productdsor companies. But USM leaders wondeer if these achievements are The state’s funds are At the same time, the federal stimulus couldx increase the research capacities at the Universityu of Maryland.
That meanzs UMBI’s research labs could be used by another USM institution that gets morefederal money. Facultg say they do not thini USM would do away withUMBI “I don’t think eliminating it is a seriouds option,” said Greg Payne, professor at the institute’sa Center for Biosystems Research. “Biosciences is too importanf tothe state.” But UMBI was absent from Gov. Martinb O’Malley’s 30-page list of ways the statee can pump upits $29 billion life sciencesd industry (see related story). UMBI employs 300 and had a $44 million budgetg last year, down from $63 million in 2007. Fundintg from private money droppedfrom $2.
3 million in 2007 to $1.2 million last year. Federal grant money dropped from $21 million to $14