University Of Michigan Logs Record-Breaking Year For Inventions

ANN ARBOR—Research led by University of Michigan faculty and researchers generated a record-breaking 615 new inventions last year—a feat rarely achieved by any research commercialization office in the country.

Additionally, 28 startup companies were launched to support the commercialization of U-M research discoveries. These new companies are advancing technologies across an array of disciplines, ranging from novel breath diagnostic treatments to AI models designed to combat climate change to innovative solutions for improving election security.

U-M faculty also had a strong year of industry collaboration. The Corporate Research Alliances team within Innovation Partnerships provided direct relationship and negotiation support for 104 new on-campus, corporate-sponsored research awards totaling $29.2 million, a significant contribution to the $178.6 million in new corporate research awards reported across the research enterprise.

“At the University of Michigan, we are fortunate to be surrounded by incredibly talented individuals in our research community,” said Arthur Lupia, interim vice president for research and innovation. “Our researchers and faculty consistently produce revolutionary work that stands out for its excellence. The committed team within Innovation Partnerships plays a key role in this success, by working tirelessly to bring the cutting-edge technologies and services developed here to the world outside our campus walls—making a tangible difference in people’s lives.”

Innovation Partnerships also reported 273 license and option agreements during the last fiscal year. U-M startups raised about $515 million in capital fundraising and liquidity events during the period as they continued to advance their technologies for broad societal use.

Due to donor and U-M support, the Accelerate Blue Fund now oversees $15.6 million in assets.

“Our vision at the University of Michigan is to become the defining public university,” said President Santa J. Ono. “A critical component of this vision is advancing innovation and discovery into real-world impact. By amplifying the impact of innovators and scholars through research commercialization, we are addressing the great challenges of our time.”