Integrated Life Sciences (ILS)

What Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) does

Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) is a two-year honors living-learning program within the University of Maryland Honors College, founded in 2011 by Dr. Todd Cooke. It recruits exceptional high-achieving prospective first-year students through UMD's Honors College admissions funnel and serves cohorts of approximately 50-100 students per year with an accelerated life sciences curriculum grounded in national initiatives such as BIO 2010, Vision and Change, and Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians. Students complete a structured sequence of HLSC and BSCI courses totaling 16 credits, a 25-hour service-learning capstone, and a 240-hour research experience, and live together on the 8th and 9th floors of LaPlata Hall during their first year.

The program's product surface consists of five core components: the HLSC course sequence (HLSC100, HLSC102, HLSC280, HLSC322, BSCI330H), the service-learning capstone, the research experience program (with placement at NIH, FDA, USDA-Beltsville, Smithsonian, National Cancer Institute, and J. Craig Venter Institute), individualized advising delivered by a three-person staff (Director Dr. Najib El-Sayed, Associate Director Dr. Sabrina Kramer, Assistant Director Jalah Townsend), and the LaPlata living-learning community with peer mentoring. Supporting programs include BSCI279H Catalyst Seminar, ENGL390H Science Writing, Undergraduate Teaching Assistant positions, and the Terps Helping Turtles alternative spring break.

ILS is funded entirely through the University of Maryland; students pay standard UMD tuition, and the program supplements this with donations for travel awards, service-learning initiatives, scholarships (including the David Goff Scholarship at $1,000 per semester), and TA/tutor stipends ($500-$1,600 per semester). It is not an independent legal entity, has no private equity or venture capital ownership, and operates as an operating program of a public state university with no commercial revenue model.

Name

Integrated Life Sciences (ILS)

Legal name

Honors College, Integrated Life Sciences

Website

https://ils.umd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) is a two-year honors living-learning program within the University of Maryland Honors College, serving high-achieving prospective life sciences students through accelerated coursework, a 240-hour research requirement, and a 25-hour service-learning capstone, with all first-year students residing on dedicated floors of LaPlata Hall.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Life Sciences Honors Program

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMABAF

Biology & Life Science Enrichment (Biotech, Genetics, Anatomy)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/STEM Enrichment & Science Programs

Keywords

• Life sciences education
• Honors college program
• Undergraduate research experience
• Service-learning curriculum
• Living-learning community

Headquarters

HQ city

College Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. University-funded program: ILS is funded through the University of Maryland as an honors college program. Students pay standard UMD tuition. The program also accepts donations for student support including travel awards, service-learning initiatives, scholarships, and student programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) is an honors living-learning program within the University of Maryland Honors College that delivers a two-year accelerated life sciences curriculum, a mandatory 240-hour research experience, a 25-hour service-learning requirement, and a residential community for high-achieving undergraduate students. The program combines HLSC coursework (HLSC100, HLSC280, HLSC322), a BSCI330H Cell Biology course, individualized advising, and access to research opportunities at NIH, FDA, USDA, and the Smithsonian. It is housed within the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences and is funded by the University of Maryland.

Product overview

Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) is a two-year honors living-learning program at the University of Maryland focused on life sciences education. The program offers a unified curriculum consisting of accelerated courses (HLSC100, HLSC280, HLSC322, BSCI330H), a 25-hour service-learning experience (HLSC102), and a 240-hour research requirement. ILS students live together in LaPlata Hall and receive individualized advising from professional staff. Key program components include the Peer Mentor Program, Undergraduate Teaching Assistant positions, the Terps Helping Turtles alternative break trip, and the BSCI279H Catalyst Seminar. The program prepares students for careers in research, medicine, veterinary science, and other life science professions through academic excellence, research experience, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ILS Course Sequence (HLSC Courses) A two-year curriculum of accelerated courses beginning at the sophomore level, including HLSC100 Developing Life Scientists for the Global Good, HLSC280 Integrative and Quantitative Concepts in Biology, HLSC322 Genetics and Genomics, and BSCI330H Cell Biology for Life Scientists, totaling 16 credits. Designed for ILS honors students pursuing life sciences careers.
• Service-Learning Experience A student-initiated 25-hour service experience with community partners of choice, completed in the first year as part of HLSC100 and HLSC102, directly relevant to future careers as life scientists.
• Research Experience Program A 240-hour research experience requirement with on-campus and off-campus opportunities including NIH, FDA, USDA-Beltsville, and the Smithsonian Institution, requiring submission of an ePortfolio for the ILS honors citation.
• Individualized Advising Personalized academic, research, and service advising for first-year through senior students by Director Dr. Najib El-Sayed, Associate Director Dr. Sabrina Kramer, and Assistant Director Jalah Townsend.
• Living-Learning Community (LaPlata Hall) First-year residential community on the 8th and 9th floors of LaPlata Hall with peer mentor program, social programs, wellness initiatives, and proximity to academic resources.
• Terps Helping Turtles A spring break immersion experience partnering with the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center on Topsail Island, NC, for service at a sea turtle rehabilitation facility.
• BSCI279H Catalyst Seminar

Quantifiable outcome

• Medical school acceptance rates above 80% for ILS graduates
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012ILS has partnered with this facility on Topsail Island, NC for the Terps Helping Turtles Alternative Breaks program since 2012. Students spend spring break caring for sea turtle patients, assisting with bathing, feeding, medicating, and educating local school children.
• Health Professions Advising Office (HPAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILS has partnered with HPAO to provide early advising for pre-med students during their first semester on campus. HPAO provides directed workshops and individualized counseling to all students regardless of major.
• NIH-BethesdacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILS students have access to research opportunities at NIH-Bethesda, one of the world's premier biomedical research institutions. Students complete 240-hour research experiences at these federal facilities.
• FDA-College ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFDA-College Park provides research internship opportunities for ILS students in regulatory science and biomedical research.
• USDA-BeltsvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA-Beltsville Agricultural Research Center offers agricultural and environmental science research opportunities for ILS students.
• Smithsonian Institution-Washington, DCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmithsonian Institution offers research opportunities in natural history, biodiversity, and conservation for ILS students.
• College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences (CMNS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILS is housed within CMNS and partners with the college to connect students to on-campus research opportunities, departmental honors programs, and career development resources.
• Maryland Office for Undergraduate ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOffer students opportunities to assist faculty with scholarly research during semesters, spending 4-6 hours weekly under faculty mentorship.
• J. Craig Venter InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational genomics and synthetic biology research institute offering research opportunities for advanced ILS students.
• National Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research agency offering summer internship programs for ILS students in cancer research and biomedical science.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Johns Hopkins University Provost's Undergraduate Research Awards (PURA): Johns Hopkins runs PURA and other structured undergraduate research programs with strong emphasis on biomedical and life sciences research. As a Baltimore-based institution with medical school placement strength, it directly competes with ILS for Maryland-region STEM applicants.
• MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP): MIT's UROP is a large, well-funded undergraduate research program integrating students into faculty labs. It serves a similar function to ILS's 240-hour research requirement but at vastly greater scale and resources, competing for the same type of high-achieving STEM applicant.
• Stanford University Science Fellows / Undergraduate Research Programs: Stanford operates a portfolio of structured undergraduate STEM research and honors programs that compete with ILS for top-tier STEM applicants nationally. The institution's much larger endowment and brand recognition make it a broader incumbent in the elite STEM-undergraduate space where ILS competes for talent.

Direct peers

• University of Pennsylvania Vagelos Life Sciences & Molecular Biology Program: Penn's Vagelos Life Sciences program integrates research, advising, and honors pathways for life sciences undergraduates—closely comparable to ILS in focusing an entire program on life sciences preparation for medical and research careers at a research-intensive university.
• University of Virginia Echols Scholar Program: UVA's Echols Scholars program provides admission-based honors benefits, advising, and priority registration for top admits across disciplines. Comparable to ILS in targeting high-achieving admits through a public flagship institution with structured honors advising, though broader in scope.
• University of Maryland Gemstone Honors Program: A fellow living-learning honors program housed within the same University of Maryland Honors College. Gemstone is a multi-disciplinary team-based research program for high-achieving undergraduates—directly comparable as a sibling honors living-learning program targeting the same elite applicant pool on the same campus.
• University of Michigan LSA Honors Program: A large public-university honors program with structured research, advising, and living-learning components for high-achieving undergraduates. Operates at much greater scale than ILS but serves a comparable function for STEM-focused honors students within a public university setting.

Emerging players

• Carnegie Mellon University Undergraduate Research Office Programs: Carnegie Mellon operates structured undergraduate research and honors programs with strong STEM focus. Comparable in offering funded research opportunities and faculty mentorship pathways, though with a broader computational/engineering emphasis than ILS's life sciences focus.
• Cornell University Presidential Research Scholars: Cornell runs selective undergraduate research scholar programs that pair high-achieving students with faculty mentors for funded research experiences. The program is comparable in its emphasis on undergraduate research mentorship and life sciences pathways, serving a similar high-achieving applicant segment.

Regional players

• North Carolina State University Honors and Scholars Programs: NC State's Honors College offers living-learning communities and research-focused tracks for high-achieving undergraduates including STEM-focused scholars. Comparable as a public flagship honors program with structured research requirements, though based in a different region than ILS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/integratedlifesciencesumd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/integrated-life-sciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Integrated Life Sciences (ILS)