Congress Approves $51 Million for UMaine System Secured by Senator Collins

The funding now heads to the President to be signed into law.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she advanced $51,000,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the University of Maine (UMaine) System in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill. The legislation, which was officially approved by the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, will now be signed into law by the President.

"The brilliant faculty and students at Maine's public universities and at the flagship university are conducting cutting-edge research and making promising discoveries in a wide variety of fields," said Senator Collins. "This funding to support these exciting projects across the UMaine System would promote workforce development, support marine research, and help to prepare the next generation of leaders. As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for this funding as the appropriations process moves forward."

"These investments-made possible through Senator Collins' advocacy-will expand research opportunities, improve infrastructure to enhance student learning, and support collaborative solutions that strengthen Maine's economy and communities," said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, University of Maine President and University of Maine System Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation.

"Maine's blue economy, coastal communities from Calais to Kittery, and thousands of fishing families rely on the Gulf of Maine," said Damian Brady, Professor of Oceanography at the University of Maine. "This federal investment will modernize the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observation System by expanding and redesigning the buoy and data collection network, integrating advanced sensors and AI-enabled analytics, and improving continuous real-time monitoring from offshore waters to the coast. These upgrades build on the pioneering platform originally launched by Dr. Neal Pettigrew and his research group at the University of Maine, and their continued leadership will create a system that delivers more reliable, actionable data and real-time information to those on the water-helping to make them safer and supporting the long-term resilience of Maine's coastal communities and economy."

"For more than three decades, the Maine Lobster Settlement Survey has provided valuable insight into juvenile lobster populations and how they respond to changing ocean conditions," said Chris Cash, executive director of the University of Maine Lobster Institute. "This new funding will build on that foundation by adding study locations to the Maine Collector Survey and generating new data essential to sustaining Maine's lobster industry and the communities that depend on it."

Funding secured by Senator Collins for the UMaine System in the FY 2026 CJS Appropriations bill is as follows:

University of Maine Health Science Complex

Recipient: University of Maine System

Project Location: Orono, ME

Amount Requested: $45,000,000

Project Purpose: To support the construction of a health and life sciences complex.

Gulf of Maine Ocean Observation System

Recipient: University of Maine System

Project Location: Coastal counties from Washington County to York County, ME

Amount Requested: $5,000,000

Project Purpose: To expand the ocean observation system in the Gulf of Maine, which is used by the maritime and fishing industries.

American Lobster Settlement Index Expansion

Recipient: University of Maine System

Project Location: Walpole, ME

Amount Requested: $1,000,000

Project Purpose: To expand the Maine Collector Survey for lobster in the Gulf of Maine.

This builds on the $1.35 million Senator Collins secured for the UMaine System in the FY 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Appropriations bill signed into law in November.

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). As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities for years to come.

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