The University of Maryland is hosting the Mpact Conference on Understanding Regional Opportunities and Partnerships to Drive American Competitiveness on March 25-27, 2026 at the Samuel Riggs Alumni Center in College Park, Maryland. Made possible by support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as the Rita Allen Foundation, Sage Publishing, and the University of Maryland’s Division of Research, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and College of Arts and Humanities, the conference will explore a number of key themes, including:
- optimizing and assessing the impact of community-engaged research on policy, practice, and economic development
- developing trustworthy and human-centered artificial intelligence applications
- addressing grand challenges through partnerships
- exploring the future of funding for public impact research
- building best practices and ecosystems for supporting social innovation
Representatives from academia, government, industry, and nonprofits are invited to participate in the conference. Early bird conference registration is offered through January 31, 2026. Presenters will explore how best to achieve societal impact by addressing critical issues collaboratively with partner organizations and communities, harnessing expertise from across a variety of fields, in particular the social sciences, humanities, and arts. Conference partners include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Rita Allen Foundation, Sage Publishing, and Sigma Xi.
A wide range of speakers will be featured at the conference from organizations including the American Association of Universities, American Council on Education, American University, Association of Public & Land-grant Universities, Boston University, Dana Foundation, Data and Society, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, National Humanities Alliance, NSF, Open AI, Optimal Solutions, Penn State University, Pew Charitable Trusts, Rita Allen Foundation, Science Philanthropy Alliance, Sigma Xi, Towson University, UCLA, University of Missouri, University of Pittsburgh, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Virginia.
For more information, visit mpact2026.umd.edu.