Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University announced Tuesday the creation of the University Research Corridor, an ongoing alliance to work jointly to transform, strengthen and diversify Michigan’s economy.

The University Research Corridor universities are a magnet for investment and jobs, and bring more than $1.3 billion in federal research grants into Michigan each year. By marshalling their resources, the presidents of the three universities are reaching out to businesses, policymakers, innovators, investors and the public to speed up technology transfer, make resources more accessible and help attract new jobs to the state.

Over the past five years, the universities -- which together bring 95 percent of federal academic research dollars to Michigan -- have announced an average of one invention every day. Collectively these discoveries have led to more than 500 license agreements for new technologies and systems.

The corridor partners work in collaboration on many projects, among themselves and with business communities on topics ranging from technology transfer and commercialization to entrepreneurship and urban policy. Michigan’s resulting “brain gain” is a prime example of research as a magnet for economic development.

The goal of the URC is to enhance state and national competitiveness in an era of globalization, and to communicate the role and activities of the universities to improve their ability to engage in meaningful partnerships.

“We have an absolute responsibility to the state to help transform an economy that is flagging,’’ said U-M President Mary Sue Coleman. “Together we have achieved much. But we must set our sights higher and do even more to turn ideas into action.’’

Research Corridor universities spark regional economic development via invention, innovation, technology transfer and by attracting smart and talented people to our state. The presidents stressed their commitment to the state's success and creating a Michigan that sustains a high quality of life.

“Our three universities continue to give Michigan a body of educated, responsible citizens who contribute to the state’s cultural, social and economic life in myriad ways from curing the sick to feeding the world,” said Wayne State University President Irvin Reid.

Each year, the universities produce more than 26,000 graduates, including 3,800 new engineers, 1,300 PhDs, 1,400 MBAs, more than 1,000 new doctors and nurses and 54 percent of the science and engineering graduates. Together, they have more than 1 million living alumni, including more than 100 CEOs of major companies in metro Detroit.

The University Research Corridor partners will provide tools and university resources to improve their outreach and collaborative efforts. The presidents also announced the launch of a joint Web site, www.urcmich.org, to make their efforts and resources more easily accessible and understandable to the public, and to give stakeholders the means to more easily locate potential partners within the universities.

“Our research universities are creators of knowledge and generate the innovations, the new technologies, and the new businesses that not only provide jobs, but also improve life for all citizens of Michigan,’’ said MSU President Lou Anna Simon.

Detroit News columnist Dan Howes has argued that “all the right tools are here’’ for an economic comeback, calling the three universities “the closest thing Michigan has to Silicon Valley – an intellectual powerhouse.’’

The three are working to develop the state’s most promising growth sectors, including alternative energy, medicine, life sciences, nanotechnology, homeland security and transportation.

The University Research Corridor builds on the foundation of the 1999 Life Sciences Corridor initiative where the three collaborated to help develop a new industry from the ground up. The three constitutionally autonomous universities are each involved with projects across the state, with impact reaching around the globe.

Last year, the U.S. Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) decided to retain 4,100 jobs at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, home of TACOM and to bring an additional 1,000 jobs here because of the area’s convergence of transportation experts from universities and private industry. Meanwhile, new Michigan employers like Toyota, Google and Hyundai said proximity to local research universities was one of the main reasons they moved here.

Contact: Joe Serwach
Voice: (734) 647-1844
Email: jserwach@umich.edu

Contact: Deb Hammacher
Voice: (517) 355-2262
Email: hammacher@msu.edu