An Act To Ensure The Retention Of R1 Research Institution Status By The University Of Maine

This bill (LD 1533) provides $2.686 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year and $5.372 million for 2026-27 to fund 25 additional graduate research assistants annually at the University of Maine. The funding supports hiring graduate students as research or teaching assistants in research-focused graduate programs until they complete their degrees. This directly affects the University of Maine System's ability to maintain its R1 research institution status, which requires sustained investment in graduate research capacity. The key mechanism is the annual allocation to support these student positions, a requirement for retaining the R1 classification.