The Maryland Energy Innovation Institute is actively engaged in helping the State attain its climate change goals as codified by the Climate Solutions Now Act (CSNA) through investing in and coordinating interdisciiplinary energy research and innovation across all academic institutions within Maryland.
Innovative ResearchExpertiseTo date, UMD has participated in 50 US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects (ARPA-e) for approximately $160M. MEI2 is also leading the Center for Research in Extreme Batteries (CREB) in partnership with the Army Resarch Lab in Adelphi, MD. Since it's establishment in 2017, MEI2 has helped obtain over $214M in federal funding with a significant fraction of that for the State of Maryland economy. Based on the share of the Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF) that supports MEI2 and it's activities, the Institute has demonstrated a 35X return on investment to the State.
Sustainability does not happen by chance, it must be engineered. That’s why, each April in connection with Earth Day, faculty and students from the University of Maryland, the University System of Maryland, and guests from industry and government are invited to come together for the MEI2's Engineering Sustainability Day.
In 2021, a student video contest focused on "How can energy innovation solve societal issues?" As MEI2 develops innovative clean energy technology products and services to solve local and global energy problems, thereby improving the lives of millions across the state of Maryland; this video competition engaged students across the state system in this mission by encouraging them to consider potential solutions utilizing clean energy technology, energy efficiency, energy storage, emission reduction, job production and other multi-disciplinary innovative approaches towards long-term sustainability. Teamwork and interdisciplinary work are encouraged. Contest winning videos can be viewed on the youtube channel.