Furthermore, in the spring of 2015 an array of partnerships between UMBC and the US Navy were announced. The two announced the opening of the first Naval ROTC unit in Maryland, on the campus of UMBC, with the US Navy sponsoring a multitude of four year full-ride scholarships for select candidates.[70] In addition, a cybersecurity research partnership between the two institutions was announced, beginning with five collaborative research projects between UMBC faculty and students and the US Navy.[71]