Governor Moore Announces $6.95 Million in ‘Build Our Future’ Grant Awards to Support Innovation Infrastructure Development

BALTIMORE, MD (June 10, 2025) — Governor Wes Moore today announced that the Maryland Department of Commerce has awarded 10 grants totaling $6.95 million through the Build Our Future Grant Pilot Program. The recipients represent projects that will support innovation infrastructure development in eligible technology sectors.

“Maryland will win the decade by making strategic investments in high-growth sectors,” said Gov. Moore. “The latest round of Build Our Future grants provides key infrastructure funding to projects supporting life sciences, clean tech, cybersecurity, and agriculture. Today’s announcement marks an important continuation of our longstanding work to grow our economy, create jobs, and leave no one behind.”

The Build Our Future Grant Program—part of the Governor’s Innovation Economy Infrastructure Act of 2023—provides grants of up to $2 million to private companies, nonprofit entities, local governments, as well as colleges and universities. Eligible industry sectors include advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agriculture, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, blue technology, cybersecurity, defense, energy and sustainability, life sciences, quantum, and sensors and robotics.

After a two-phase application process, the department approved 10 projects for funding:

• Blackbird Laboratories – $2,000,000 to support the creation of the Baltimore BioHub, a world-class, 35,000 square-foot life sciences incubator and wet lab to be developed at the City Garage Science and Technology Center. The facility will house and incubate early-stage companies. (Baltimore City)
• Frederick Community College – $292,600 to support the build out of five rooms totaling 2,085 square-feet for life sciences training, including expansion of an existing biotech lab; a simulated clean room; and conversion of a classroom into a biotech lab for cell culture. (Frederick County)
• HighT-Tech – $1,000,000 for construction of a pilot manufacturing infrastructure to commercialize a novel, electrified, rapid high-temperature manufacturing process to disrupt the production of clean-tech material, including advanced batteries and hydrogen electrolyzers. The company is a spinoff from the University of Maryland, College Park and Johns Hopkins University. (Prince George’s County)
• LaunchPort, LLC – $700,000 to establish commercial advanced manufacturing capabilities in a 4,000 square-foot, Good Manufacturing Practices-compliant environment within LaunchPort’s 30,000 square-foot facility in Baltimore, enabling domestic production of medical device components that are currently sourced in other regions of the U.S. and internationally. (Baltimore City)
• Liatris – $800,000 to construct a prototyping facility for next-generation thermal insulation materials in clean room space adjacent to existing headquarters. Validation of the technology would lead to an investment in larger-scale mass production. (Montgomery County)
• Medcura – $333,333 for a biotech company that develops and commercializes a proprietary product from natural biomaterials to provide safe, effective and lower cost bleeding management solutions. This project will transform their headquarters building into an “end-to-end” manufacturing facility, significantly expanding manufacturing capabilities and moving the complete process back to Maryland. (Prince George’s County)
• Novel Microdevices – $633,757 to establish and operationalize a Good Manufacturing Practices-compliant pilot manufacturing facility within their Baltimore City headquarters to produce innovative microfluidic cartridges for infectious disease diagnostics. The facility will be equipped to scale production, reaching fully automated custom manufacturing lines after five years. (Baltimore City)
• Silvec Biologics – $98,000 for the agricultural biotech company licensing University of Maryland technology to develop an RNA therapy to immunize trees, vines and bushes against deadly viral and bacterial pathogens. This project will expand an existing 6,000 square-foot facility—which includes offices, wet labs, and plant growth space—to an adjacent 3,000 square-foot space in the same building and conversion to lab space, allowing for 10 new jobs over two to three years. (Montgomery County)
• Technology Advancement Center – $95,456 to enhance, modernize and leverage existing cyber ranges and cyber kits with a focus on operational technology and critical infrastructure use cases. The goal is to provide an improved hands-on learning experience that supports Maryland’s goals to train and foster cybersecurity professionals. (Howard County)
• Washington College – $999,930 to revitalize a 16,000 square-foot portion of a former manufacturing plant for use as a community-facing entrepreneurship center, innovation hub, and technology incubator. The proposed food entrepreneurship and agricultural sustainability technologies initiative, including a community kitchen, cold storage, and a regenerative farm, will be centered within the innovation plant. (Kent County)

“These grants represent investments not just in individual companies but in broader growth with these key industry sectors,” said Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Harry Coker, Jr. “The projects have the potential to drive innovation and discovery and help build a stronger and more competitive Maryland economy.”

About Maryland Commerce

The Maryland Department of Commerce stimulates private investment and creates jobs by attracting new businesses, encouraging the expansion and retention of existing companies, and providing financial assistance to Maryland companies. The Department promotes the State’s many economic advantages and markets local products and services at home and abroad to spur economic development and international investment, trade and tourism. Because they are major economic generators, the Department also supports the Arts, film production, sports and other special events. For more information, visit commerce.maryland.gov.