Senator Collins Secures $45 Million for Landmark UMaine Health and Life Sciences Complex

Funding to establish a new health and life sciences complex is the largest single CDS award in Maine history.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $45,000,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) to support the construction of a new cutting-edge health and life sciences complex at the University of Maine (UMaine).

This significant federal funding announcement follows the University of Maine System's release of an independent study that offered several suggestions to improve health care access in the State of Maine. This includes, "investing in research, nursing, and allied health programs; and building the physical infrastructure necessary for long-term success, including a proposed cutting-edge health sciences complex at the flagship," campus in Orono.

This targeted investment, which was included in the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill, is the largest single CDS secured in the history of the State of Maine.

"This funding will be a catalyst for UMaine and for the future of health care in our state," said Senator Collins. "The new health and life sciences complex will help educate aspiring nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals here in Maine, preparing the next generation to meet the complex needs of our state. This funding will help ensure that Mainers benefit from important advances in medicine, other life sciences, and technology for years to come."

"We are deeply grateful to Senator Collins for her steadfast leadership and her commitment to strengthening Maine's future through the federal appropriations process," said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, University of Maine President and University of Maine System Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. "Her support for the planned UMaine Health and Life Science Complex will lead to transformation for our flagship university and the health and well-being of the people of Maine and beyond. This facility will prepare students across Maine and its public universities for the rapidly evolving world of modern life science, health care and innovation - where data, AI, advanced technologies, and interdisciplinary research shape every aspect of practice from the lab to the classroom to the patient. As Maine's learner-centered R1 university, UMaine integrates workforce development, world-class research, and real-world problem-solving into every stage of education, empowering learners to generate new knowledge and become the innovators and professionals who will lead Maine's health and life science sectors for decades to come."

In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $1.2 billion for hundreds of Maine projects for FY 2022, FY 2023, FY 2024, and FY 2026 (to date). In the last five years, Senator Collins has successfully directed more than $500 million in federal appropriations to the UMaine System.

###

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet