March 17, 2026

Montgomery County Council Votes in Support of the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing Capital Project 

Recently, the Montgomery County Council unanimously voted in support of the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM IHC) capital project in North Bethesda. UM-IHC will serve as the anchor of the transformation mixed-used innovation campus, demonstrating the County’s ongoing commitment to fueling the growth of its thriving life sciences and technology industries, which boasts companies of all sizes, including industry giants AstraZeneca, United Therapeutics, and Forterra.  

Currently already located in North Bethesda, UM IHC leverages advanced computing, biomedical research, and clinical expertise to address critical health challenges, such as detecting bias in AI used in medical software, predicting disease spread, and improving diagnosis of antibiotic-resistant infections. 

Located in Montgomery County, the institute is part of Maryland’s well-established life sciences sector, which strategically positions it to foster collaborations with leading biotech companies and federal agencies, including the NIH, FDA, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). UM IHC’s work also benefits from the County’s robust life sciences ecosystem and its diverse, highly skilled workforce and serves as yet another example of the County’s position as a global leader for the life sciences sector.