With Johns Hopkins University in the heart of the city and top science and security focused federal entities within reach, the Greater Baltimore region is a magnet for attracting some seriously smart people. In fact, Maryland is the second most educated state in the nation.

And many of Maryland’s brainiacs are hyper-focused on solving some of the world’s biggest health challenges. Among them: neurological conditions, the leading cause of illness and disability worldwide . When it comes to brain health, Maryland’s dedicated research institutions, medical device manufacturing facilities, and higher education powerhouses are fueling neuroscience innovation like never before. Factor in dedicated investment programs to drive local innovation, it’s safe to say the Baltimore region is poised to lead in neuroscience.

Research Assets
Downtown Baltimore has many assets to power neuroscience research, including the world’s largest collection of postmortem human brains for the study of neuropsychiatric disorders. This collection belongs to the Lieber Institute for Brain Development , an institution focused on driving clinical advancements for genetic and molecular mechanisms of schizophrenia and related developmental brain disorders.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine launched a new Institute for Neuroscience Discovery (UM-MIND ), which brings more than 120 leading neuroscientists under one umbrella, with a goal to rapidly accelerate translational research of the brain in order to find hidden causes and potential new treatments for addiction, mental illness, and degenerative brain diseases.

Johns Hopkins, the birthplace of modern neurosurgery, leads extensive neuro research through the Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute , Pedersen Brain Science Institute  and Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience .

And just 40 miles from Hopkins sits the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke , which conducts extensive research and powers more research through grants, while also administering career development programs to extend neuroscience expertise in the workforce.

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) is home to the Maryland Neuroimaging Center , a vibrant neuroimaging research hub, and the Brain and Behavior Institute , driven by more than 100 researchers. UMCP also collaborates with the University of Maryland, Baltimore on Neuro-link , a program to develop a novel technique to treat glioblastoma, the deadliest and most common type of adult brain cancer.

Funding Opportunities
Proximity to NIH has its benefits for Maryland companies and organizations, as the institution awards more R&D contracts to Maryland than any other state ($1.34 billion in 2023). These innovation-spurring investments are put to work at institutions statewide to drive research, and develop new therapies and devices.

And when NIH grant-funded projects conclude, local innovators are not left to their own devices. Blackbird Labs , a recently launched investment firm bestowed with $100 million from Baltimore Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti’s foundation, is on a mission to bridge the gap between NIH funding and further investment.

“We’re voting with our own dollars,” said Matt Tremblay, CEO of Blackbird Labs. “There is high-quality biomedical research happening in Baltimore, and we want investors to know about it.”

The State of Maryland runs a program to help lure investors. The Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit  incentivizes investors by offering a tax credit equal to 33 percent of an eligible investment in a qualified Maryland biotechnology company. Additionally, Maryland's Build Our Future grant  also powers local companies in the space. In the pilot round of the program, CraniUS , a company seeking diagnostics and treatments for patients with chronic brain disease, received $1 million from the state .

"This grant is not just a recognition of our groundbreaking work, but a testament to the state’s commitment to fostering innovation and supporting high-impact projects,” said Mike Maglin, CEO of CraniUS. “With this funding, we are poised to make significant strides in our mission to develop life-changing neurotechnology solutions."

And organizations like Neurotech Harbor , an initiative between Johns Hopkins University and Howard University, provides founders with funding, resources, and guidance from seasoned neurotech scientists and entrepreneurs.

The Neuroscience Companies we Keep
Launchport, a medical device accelerator in South Baltimore, is home to several neuroscience companies that leverage shared facilities and mentorship in the space. Among them is Longeviti Neuro Solutions , which creates commercialized implantable neurosurgical devices. It’s the Baltimore-area’s resources that have helped Longeviti grow and thrive here.

Neuro companies JuneBrain , eNeura , EyeDea  work alongside Longeviti at Launchport. Across town, AgeneBio  has a late-stage clinical program focused on prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease. And down the road from Baltimore in Montgomery County, one of the nation’s most concentrated clusters of life sciences companies, you’ll find Brainscope , a non-invasive medical device that objectively evaluates head injured patients for both brain bleeds and concussions. Also in Montgomery County, find Neuraly , which develops new drugs for diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s; L&J Bio , which develops protein therapies for neurological disorders. In Frederick, find Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp , which specializes in central nervous system disorders. And in Anne Arundel County Diagnostic Biochips  develops neural probes and cloud-based software to enable groundbreaking research and analysis of deep brain activity.

We’re Just Getting Started
Maryland’s life sciences sector continues to be one of the strongest in the nation, with highly-concentrated assets you won’t find anywhere else in the U.S. And with developers seeing the area’s potential for life sciences growth, more and more commercial space is coming online to meet the needs of life sciences companies.