TEDCO Announces New Board Member for the Maryland Innovation Initiative

Board appointees represent expertise of Maryland’s academic research institutions 

COLUMBIA, Md. (January 4, 2024) –TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced the recent appointment of Christina DeMur, director of technology development at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, to the Maryland Innovation Initiative Board of Directors.

The Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) was created as a collaboration between the State of Maryland and five Maryland academic research institutions: Johns Hopkins University (JHU); Morgan State University (MSU); University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP); University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB); University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). 

Recently this collaboration has expanded to include two more comprehensive universities – Frostburg State University and Bowie State University. This expansion will allow MII to further its reach and help bring more innovative research to the market.

“Christina’s appointment to the MII Board of Directors is sure to aid our continued support of innovation and research throughout Maryland,” said Renée Winsky, MII Board Chair. “Her expertise will offer new perspectives that will support the growth and diversification of not only the MII program, but the State’s overall entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Over the past 11 years, MII has continued to uplift Maryland’s innovation ecosystem; the program has invested $52.3 million in project grants and investments and created 176 start-ups, which have in turn raised over $737 million in follow-on funding and created more than 370 Maryland-based jobs. Additionally, the program helped secure 7 exits.

A full list of the MII Board members includes Renée Winsky, Bay One Group LLC; Wendy Martin, UMBC; Mary Morris, UMB; Kenneth Porter, UMCP; Wayne Swann, MSU; and Christina DeMur, JHU.

“Christina’s appointment enhances the current board, allowing us build on the successes of the past 11 years and continue creating a more inclusive and efficient technology transfer-based economic development for the State of Maryland,” said Dr. Arti Santhanam, executive director of MII. “MII was created to commercialize promising technologies through the creation of new ventures, and the Board’s level of expertise and leadership reflect the commitment of our collaborative institutions to this core mission.”

For more details on eligibility and application requirements, please visit: https://www.tedcomd.com/funding/tech-transfer/maryland-innovation-initiative.