John Bedz, director of the state-funded Michigan Small Tech Association, said Michigan is ahead of Ohio in research now mainly because it has been more proficient in commercializing nanotechnology research. Much of that, he said, is led by the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. Nanotechnology involves building specific materials molecule by molecule, enabling a company to remove defects, increase a material\'s performance nearly tenfold in some cases, and give products properties never before possible.