Wayne State University and the University of Michigan received a combined 297 patents between 1999 and 2003, according to a report released by Automation Alley. The study, titled "Driving Southeast Michigan Forward," analyzed six industry areas: advanced automotive, advanced manufacturing, chemical and material, information technology, life sciences and other technologies. NextEnergy, a non-profit corporation that promotes the advancement of alternative energies, has also acquired more than $13 million in federal research funds to support research and development in homeland defense, hydrogen, fuel cells and clean diesel fuel (biodiesel).