University System of Md. to break up biotechnology institute - Business First of Louisville:

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The public university system’s Board of Regentxs approved Friday a sweeping restructuring ofthe (UMBI) that will parcekl out its four research along with staff and other to other campuses. System leaders hope the restructurinb will drive research collaboration and boost acces tooutside funding. It also means an end for which was launched to great fanfares two decades ago with the mission ofadvancinyg education, research and economic development for what was then the state’sz nascent biotech industry.
A months-lony study of UMBI by an ad hoc committese led by USM regents Chairmam Clifford Kendall concludedthat “the organization of UMBI as a geographicallyu dispersed, free-standing entity has created intractablee problems.” Those problems include d an inability to scale UMBI programs, isolation amongb UMBI’s research centers, the lack of a criticalk mass of graduate and undergraduate students involvefd in UMBI research, and administrativw inefficiencies. “After a comprehensive and deliberativee process, we have concluded that restructuring UMBI’as assets is the right thing to Kendall said ina statement.
“With a focuss on collaboration — across disciplines and acroswsinstitutions — and with recognitionm of the exceptional talent within the UMBI communityg and the system’s other institutions, this action will positiobn USM to take fuller advantage of its system-wids strengths in the biosciences and to fuel the state’se knowledge economy even The move isn’t a total Critics have long questioned whether the state was duplicatinh its research efforts in the biosciences. UMBI’s four centersw in Baltimore, Rockville and Colleg Park conduct researchon biotechnology, marine and environmental science.
At the same time, statde funding for higher education is pinched by the recessioh andthe state’s budget and universities’ research needs are Under the restructuring approved Friday by the regentd at a meeting in a joint University System of Marylanr research center will be established at UMBI’s Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology in Rockville. The system’sw flagship College Park campus will overseer the facility and work with the University of Baltimore to elevate workin physics, engineering and computationa sciences as well as structurakl biology, protein design and drug discovery.
• UMBI’ Center for Biosystems Research will also be overseen byCollegwe Park. • A jointf research center at UMBI’s Centeer of Marine Biotechnology in Baltimore will be with administrative responsibility falling to the Universitgof Maryland, Baltimore County. UMBC will collaborate with the University of Marylanf Center for Environmental Science and the Universityhof Maryland, Baltimore to drivd research in environmental and genomic sciences. • UMBI’zs Baltimore-based Medical Biotechnology Center will fall under the Universityhof Maryland, Baltimore’s purview. • UMBI’s Institute of Fluorescencw will be administeredby UMBC.
• UMBI’ s K-12 educational programs will be overseen by with an eye on enhancing itsteaching focus. UMBI Presidentg Jennie Hunter-Cevera is steppiny down June 30 after 10 years inthat role. She will become executive vice president of discovery and analyticall sciences and corporate developmentat , a North Carolina The University System of Maryland will honor tenur e held by UMBI faculty and administrative support staffers will be able to stay in theie jobs through fiscal 2010.
Job opportunities at other system campuses willbe identified, and memorandza of understanding outlining future operations and collaborations are expectedr to be completed by the end of this year and fullty implemented by the end of fiscal 2010. UMBI generatexs about $25 million in research activity annually, and universityt system leaders hope to see that number increass dramatically by breaking upthe “Today’s decisions by the board provide a tremendous opportunity for the Universit y System of Maryland to increasee the volume and impact of its basixc and applied research in the biosciences,” said USM Chancello r William E. Kirwan in a statement.
“This restructuring has the potential to double the research productivitygof UMBI’s current assets within five