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University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships

Licensing

Roesha Andre, Graduate Student Instructor, in the lab

Inventor-centered service and win-win relationships.

Our Licensing team brings business, scientific, and legal expertise to amplify the impact of U-M research. We are eager to help you to:

  • – assess the impact potential for an innovation,
  • – explore patent or other intellectual property protection,
  • – navigate conflict of interest and other compliance requirements,
  • – connect you to potential commercialization partners,
  • – structure and close NDA, options, licenses, and other partnering agreements, and
  • – pursue translational funding opportunities to advance your innovations.


If you are a company, entrepreneur, or investor interested in commercializing a U-M research innovation, please contact our team.  We pride ourselves on building win-win long-term relationships.

Let’s Get Started

If you have questions or would like to learn more about the licensing process, explore our commercialization basics guide for tips and guidance.

Commercialization Basics   The License Process

Faculty & Researchers

If it’s time to commercialize your idea or innovation, we’re ready. Submit your invention online and together we’ll evaluate a path forward.

Submit your invention

Industry

Learn more about the technologies and discoveries available for licensing from U-M. Let’s make it happen.

See available inventions

Investors & Entrepreneurs

Commercialization requires the support of future-focused individuals. If you’re interested in finding your next big idea at U-M or learning more about our startup portfolio, let’s start a conversation.

Connect with us

Explore Our Startup Licensing Practices

We are committed to being the most startup-friendly technology commercialization office in the country. Our goal is to minimize the friction for entrepreneurs to launch and grow startups resulting from U-M research activity. We offer a variety of frameworks that outline our approach to startup licensing and accommodate your startup’s unique situation.

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Digital Technologies

Digital Discovery

The Digital Discovery Process  is a unique service built to help faculty and staff move early stage software based ideas from unstructured brainstorms, fragments and broad based inspiration into well formed and developed concepts. This powerful service helps move your ideas from a rough sketch to an articulate vision that can be clearly presented, supported and actioned. An agile team of software industry professionals and external experts with business, technical, design and compliance experience walk you through a comprehensive process to structure your initial idea.

Discover more

Mobile Publishing

Innovation Partnerships is the University of Michigan’s gateway for publishing mobile apps to U-M’s official accounts on the App Store and Google Play Store. We are responsible for publishing apps developed or sponsored by U-M faculty, staff and graduate students. The types of apps we publish are wide-ranging—from campus life apps geared towards students, to health and educational apps for the public, to apps integral to clinical research studies. Innovation Partnerships steps you through the submission requirements, providing guidance and assistance throughout the publishing process.

Learn more

Data Licensing

Data is a valuable asset for researchers and U-M. At its fullest potential, researchers can use data to promote research and maximize societal impact as well as provide funding for continued research. Moreover, U-M is committed to making data available in order to enable the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

We can work with you to maximize the impact of your data through:

  • matching datasets with industry partners in order to help get data out of the lab and into the hands of change makers and innovators
  • helping to navigate the laws governing the sharing of data and any obligations owed to funders or other third parties
Learn more about data licensing with Innovation Partnerships

An cropped image of a person's hands typing on a laptop. There is a graphic overlay of charts and graphs.

Fellows Program

Fellows work part-time to assist Innovation Partnerships licensing specialists to assess the technical and market potential of new U-M inventions.

Typical projects include:

  • Scientific, market, prior art, and patent research and analysis
  • Assessing commercial viability of new inventions
  • Categorizing inventions into application specific or industry segments
  • Technology marketing abstract composition
  • Identifying potential licensees or investors
Learn more about the fellows program at Innovation Partnerships

Innovation Partnerships

“I enjoyed my experience working with Innovation Partnerships. As a faculty member, I never felt rushed or pushed, and I appreciated being able to work on my own time. The team was supportive, letting me know that they were there for me when I was ready. Over the past few years, they have been able to help me redefine invention for myself.”

– Daphne Watkins

Meet Our Team

Bryce Pilz

Executive Director of Licensing and Strategic Alliances

Drew Bennett

Director of Software, Content Licensing and Research Partnerships

Emily Bowers

Industry Relations Manager

Aparna Bubna

Associate Director of Licensing

John Corthell

Senior Industry Relations Manager, Group Lead

Tiefei Dong

Director of Therapeutic Partnerships

Richard Greeley

Associate Director of Licensing, Engineering

Megan Griffin

Assistant Director of Licensing

Keith Hughes

Associate Director of Licensing, Physical Sciences & Engineering

Ashwathi Iyer

Assistant Director, Software, Content Licensing and Research Partnerships

Joohee Kim

Associate Director of Licensing, Physical Sciences & Engineering

Stefan Koehler

Director of Therapeutics Licensing

Michelle Larkin

Director of Licensing, Medical Devices

Stephen Lutz

Marketing Analyst

Jeremy Nelson

Director of Physical Sciences Licensing

Katherine Pollard

Associate Director of Licensing, Medical Devices

Lauren Suits

Content Marketing and Licensing Manager

Tina Suntres

Assistant Director, Software, Content Licensing and Research Partnerships

Qing Wang

MTA Coordinator