What Leaders Are Saying

2025 Ecosystem Report: Perspectives

Federal Funding in the Region

Leaders from the region’s institutions and innovation hubs are closely watching shifts in federal research funding, recognizing its integral role in fueling the region’s startup pipeline and sustaining long-term ecosystem growth. Federal support has historically underpinned the region’s innovation economy—particularly through academic research, technology transfer, and early-stage commercialization. 

Leaders are emphasizing that reductions in this funding threaten not only the health of university-led research, but also the formation of startups and the flow of talent into the private sector. At the same time, they see opportunity: with intentional collaboration and increased private investment, the region can diversify its innovation infrastructure and build resilience beyond federal dollars. As public funding landscapes evolve, their focus is on ensuring the Baltimore Region’s innovation ecosystem remains strong, equitable, and aligned with the region’s strengths in health, cybersecurity, and climate tech.

Institution and Innovation Leaders

Perspectives on Shifts in Federal R&D Funding

“Because of our researchers’ extraordinary success in competing year after year for merit-based grants and contracts, we are, more than any other American university, deeply tethered to the compact between our sector and the federal government. The breadth and depth of this historic relationship means that cuts to federal research will affect research faculty, students, and staff and will ripple through our university.” Read More

Ron Daniels
President, Johns Hopkins University

“The vast majority of Johns Hopkins startups take root in a federally-funded lab or office, and the resulting discoveries enable our researchers and entrepreneurs to attract private investment to support the translation of discovery out of academia and into the marketplace. This cycle of innovation is responsible for spawning a host of high-impact products and a portfolio of startups, many of whom are enriching the local Baltimore ecosystem.”

Myra Norton
Head of Innovation, Startup and Ecosystem Acceleration; Johns Hopkins University

“Given the scale of UMB’s reliance on federal research funding, where nearly half of our budget derives from research and training grants, we understand that cuts or changes in federal support will have a profound impact across our institution. While the exact scope of these changes remains unclear, we anticipate that they might disrupt research and impact programs and faculty and staff positions in the coming months.” Read More

Bruce E. Jarrell
President, University of Maryland Baltimore

“Federal investment has been critical for advancing innovation and Baltimore’s thriving tech economy. It’s an interconnected system and disruptions to the process – whether it is federally sponsored research, FDA approvals, Medicaid/Medicare reimbursement, or other avenues – impacts our ability to commercialize life science technologies and the overall health of the life sciences sector.”

Mary Morris
Director of Baltimore Fund, University of Maryland Baltimore

“A loss of federal research funding on the scale that has been proposed would fundamentally change our nation’s academic research enterprise, and it would, inevitably, change the role of research in higher education and the teaching and learning that occurs on our campuses. No institution, not even the wealthiest, could replace federal research dollars out of their own budgets or with state funds or philanthropy.” Read More

Dr. Valerie Ashby
President, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Momentum for Baltimore:

Helping Baltimore's Regional Economy Grow

GBC and UpSurge Baltimore
“Over the course of its four-year history, UpSurge Baltimore has infused a level of energy and engagement among the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem that is essential for driving continued investment and growth. Bringing the organization under the GBC banner will foster more collaboration between the startup, tech, and innovation ecosystems on one end and the corporate, manufacturing, and academic ecosystems on the other — in ways that will fuel lasting success across the Baltimore Region.” - Learn More
Mark Anthony Thomas

President & CEO, Greater Baltimore Committee

Bold Moves
"Baltimore is a region where innovation is built into the fabric - it is part of our history and is shaping our future. We are agile, fearless, and hopeful. Bold captures our spirit and how we do business. The Baltimore Region is defined by reinvention, resilience, and progress. Now more than ever, we need bold doers and innovators. Boldness fuels progress, progress drives investment. Join us.” - Learn More
Lakey Boyd

Chief Economic Officer & EVP, Greater Baltimore Committee

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