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University of Maryland Scores $750 Million Software Grant

  • By Kevin Hudson
  • 09/18/13

The University of Maryland (UMD) has received a grant for use of commercial product lifecycle management software from Siemens Corporation.

Use of the software carries a commercial value of $750 million, according to a release, constituting the "largest ever in-kind software grant from Siemens PLM Software."

The software is designed to allow companies to manage the lifecycle of a product from "ideation, design and manufacture, through service and disposal," according to a Siemens release. At UMD, the software will be used by faculty and students for courses and research related to robotics design, bioengineering, space systems, product engineering, manufacturing, and systems life cycle analysis. Student groups will also use the software in national and international competitions, including the Terps Racing Formula SAE and Baja teams, and NASA's X-Hab and Lunar Wheel Design competitions.

"Our students will benefit tremendously from using Siemens PLM software for course work, special projects, and international competitions, and their experience with the software will help them succeed in the workplace as graduates," said Darryll Pines, dean of UMD's A. James Clark School of Engineering, in a release.

Siemens USA Headquarters and the University of Maryland campus sit just a few miles apart in the Washington D.C. area, and the software grant represents only the latest partnership between the school and the company, which have worked together on student recruitment and "collaborative activities in energy, transportation, neuroimaging, biomedical devices, and fire safety," according to a release.

"Maryland is improving the climate for advanced manufacturing, as seen in the uptick in Maryland manufacturing jobs," said Maryland Secretary of Business and Economic Development Dominick Murray, in a release. "This partnership between a major corporation and the state's flagship university bodes well for continued job growth and advances in research."

About the Author

Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].

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