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University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
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Eleven Research Projects to Receive Nearly $1M in Funding from the MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub & U-M Electric Vehicle Center

8/6/2026

Eleven multidisciplinary research projects have been awarded nearly $1M in funding support from the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub and the University of Michigan’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Center. 

This year’s awardees represent U-M’s Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses, as well as Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University and Oakland University. 

“What excites me most about this year’s awardees is the sheer breadth of what they’re tackling, from next-generation battery materials to drone propulsion to AI-powered diagnostics,” said Denise Graves, commercialization program director for MTRAC Advanced Transportation. “Michigan has always been at the forefront of mobility innovation, and these researchers are proof that the next chapter of that story is in very good hands.”

The selected projects span a wide range of mobility-related disciplines, including battery technologies, advanced in-memory computing architectures, radar systems, aerospace inspection, drone propulsion and solar control coatings. Each project will receive a one-year grant from MTRAC to advance their research commercialization efforts. In addition to funding, teams also will receive commercialization resources and support, including connections to industry partners, coaching and mentoring from the MTRAC team and access to an industry and venture capital advisory board.

Finalists presented their proposals before an oversight committee composed of experienced technologists, entrepreneurs, industry partners and venture capitalists. The committee provided feedback to each applicant and will continue to mentor all who applied.

This year’s award recipients include: 

  • Rui Chen (EMU): Digital Twin–Based Structural Intelligence Platform for Heavy-Duty Vehicles
  • Chengcheng Fang (MSU)*: Scalable Lignosulfonate-Based Separators for Safer, Long-Life EV Batteries
  • Neil Dasgupta (UM-Ann Arbor)*: Scaling-Up Surface Coatings for Advanced Battery Electrodes
  • Reetuparna Das (UM-Ann Arbor): Beyond GPUs: Processing-in-Memory Architectures for Scalable LLM Inference in Automotive ADAS and In-Vehicle Infotainment
  • Daniel Aloi (OU): Phase 2: Low-Cost Antenna/Radar Measurement System for Transportation
  • Xuan Zhou (UM-Dearborn)*: AI-Powered Rapid Battery Health Tester for Battery Repurposing and Reuse
  • Bhisham Sharma (MTU)*: AeroFeathers: Low-Noise 3D-Printed Drone Propellers
  • Michael Flynn (UM-Ann Arbor): Quantum Inspired Optimization for Transportation
  • Ke Sun (UM-Ann Arbor): Making Robots See Invisible Airflow Change: Enabling Portable Moiré Schlieren Inspection on Robots for Mobility Manufacturing Diagnostics
  • Chanseok Jeong (CMU): Ultrasonic AI Inspection of Aerospace Structures
  • Qi Fan (MSU): Solar Control Coatings for Automotive Applications

*Projects marked with an asterisk are supported by both the MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub and the U-M EV Center.

The MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub and EV Center announced their partnership in February 2025 and have since supported researchers from across Michigan by driving translational research projects with high commercial potential. As part of this collaboration, the EV Center has provided an additional $1 million for disbursement through the MTRAC Advanced Transportation funding awards.

“When the EV Center and MTRAC Advanced Transportation joined forces, we wanted to do more than write checks; we wanted to build a pipeline from lab to market,” said Alan Taub, director of the Electric Vehicle Center. “Seeing that investment take shape in eleven projects this year, spanning everything from EV battery technology to aerospace inspection, makes clear that this collaboration is already delivering on that promise.”

The EV Center is backed by a $130 million investment from Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity and is dedicated to advancing electric vehicle technology and talent. The center provides support by connecting researchers, educators and industry leaders to address challenges and expand opportunities in transitioning to vehicle electrification.

The MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub is administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and funded by the Michigan Strategic Fund, as well as the Economic Development Administration’s Mobility Accelerator Innovation Network (MAIN) through TechTown Detroit. Since its inception in 2014, MTRAC Advanced Transportation, becoming a statewide hub in 2017, has awarded over $7.5 million to transportation-related projects, leading to more than $74 million in follow-on funding and the creation of 35 startups.

“Translational research doesn’t happen by accident. It takes sustained investment, the right expertise, and a network willing to take a chance on early-stage ideas,” said MEDC University Technology Program Director Larry Herriman. “That’s exactly what MTRAC is built to provide, and the results speak for themselves.”