What it is
The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) is part of the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland in College Park. Mtech launched its first three programs in 1985 to encourage collaboration between the Clark School and Maryland industry, and since 2000 has broadened its mission to building an entrepreneurship ecosystem. Its stated goals are to train future technology entrepreneurs, help them build technology ventures, and connect companies with University of Maryland resources. Mtech reports serving more than 72,000 students.
What it offers founders
Mtech groups its work into Learn, Launch and Fly programs, listed on its programs page. For founders and researchers, the most relevant include:
- Free entrepreneur office hours for regional entrepreneurs with bio or tech startups or ideas.
- Mtech Ventures, a university incubator for technologies commercialized at UMD.
- UMD I-Corps and the NSF I-Corps Mid-Atlantic Hub, hands-on training for researchers turning innovations into products or licenses.
- Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS), which funds product development projects pairing Maryland companies with University System of Maryland faculty.
- Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund, a venture fund for Maryland startups with technology that addresses Chesapeake Bay pollution.
- Maryland Innovation Extension, which brings entrepreneurial resources statewide with a focus on underrepresented groups.
Who it is for
Mtech serves several groups. UMD students can take entrepreneurship courses, a 15-credit minor, the Hinman CEOs living-learning program, or professional master's degrees in product management and technology entrepreneurship. UMD faculty and researchers can use I-Corps, the Medical Device Development Fund and ASPIRE grants for undergraduate researchers. Maryland companies, including startups not affiliated with the university, can apply to MIPS to fund joint research with university faculty. Anyone can take Mtech's open, noncredit online courses on Coursera and edX.
How to engage
Each program has its own page, eligibility rules and application process, so start from the program list and follow the link for the program you need. Most program pages, rather than the main Mtech site, carry deadlines and funding terms. Mtech also lists events and news on its site, and general questions go through its contact page. Background on the institute is on the about page.
Why it matters in the DMV ecosystem
Mtech connects University of Maryland research with companies, and through MIPS it directly funds collaborations between Maryland companies and university faculty. For a founder building a hardware, biotech or deep tech company in Maryland, it is a practical starting point for finding faculty partners, campus facilities and early training, and for meeting the I-Corps network that spans Mid-Atlantic universities.
