MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub
The 2025 Funding Cycle is now closed.
The Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) for Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub is a statewide program supporting translational research projects that have high commercial potential, with the ultimate goal of launching new technologies into the mobility and transportation sectors. Innovators from all public institutions of higher education, hospital systems and non-profit research centers in the state of Michigan are eligible to submit proposals for grant funding consideration.
The program offers early-stage funding opportunities through the MTRAC Advanced Transportation annual grant program. Since the inception of the program, over 152 proposals have been submitted with 72 projects funded, resulting in 25 startup companies and achieving over $96 Million in follow on funding. Key commercial milestones that are the focus of the program include:
- Advancing early-stage translational research in the transportation/mobility industry
- Understanding the market adoption readiness to meet industry and market needs
- De-risking the technology development path
MTRAC Advanced Transportation is industry agnostic and can apply to mobility and transportation technologies that move people, goods and information across land, water and air. Funded projects must be related to and have an initial commercial application in transportation and/or mobility.
The program offers initial support for proposal development, pitch preparation and early market research. Awarded projects go on to receive a one-year grant and resources that support the commercialization milestones with connections to industry partners, coaching from the MTRAC Team which includes mentors, licensing professionals and Industry and Investment Advisory Board members.
The MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub is part of Innovation Partnerships at the University of Michigan. It has a 2025 operating budget of $2M with half of the funds coming from the State of Michigan’s Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) and the remainder coming from participating institutions. The program reinforces the commitment of the MSF, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and U-M to entrepreneurship as a dynamic catalyst for economic growth, allowing for greater collaboration and ultimately increasing the number of start-ups, jobs, industry licenses, and investment for Michigan.
MTRAC Advanced Transportation Funding Opportunities
An award will result in a 12-month grant that supports both technical and commercial milestones approved by an Oversight Committee consisting of industry and investment professionals. The program aims to accelerate new high-tech solutions with high commercial value to serve the mobility and advanced transportation industries and is agnostic to transportation mode; land, sea, air and space. The program is open to researchers at all public institutions of higher education, hospital systems and non-profit research centers across the state of Michigan. In addition to matching funds, available support for projects includes mentorship from program mentors, leaders from industry with a wide range of sector expertise, venture capital experts and the MTRAC commercialization team. The program offers two funding levels: Kickstart and Mid-Stage.
Start your application process early and utilize MTRAC program support provided for proposal development. Awarded project teams are supported throughout the 12-month award process and will receive ongoing feedback and support on commercialization milestones, market needs and future funding opportunities.
Funding areas include and are not limited to:
- Electrification, grid & battery charging and recycling technology
- Transportation Infrastructure
- Aerospace/Space
- Semiconductor
- Rail/Fleet/Maritime
- Cybersecurity
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
- Manufacturing Solutions – additive/subtractive, robotics, plant operations
- Supply Chain/Logistics Solutions
- Control Systems and Sensors/Connectivity
- Renewable Energy/Circular Economy/Sustainability/Wind/Solar
- Vehicle materials
Kickstart Early-Stage Funding
Kickstart funding is available up to $50K (including match) for initial testing of new technology as part of the early stage of commercialization such as the generation of data for a prototype, patent application or other work that could provide a strong foundation for a mid-stage grant proposal.
Mid-Stage Funding
MTRAC mid-stage awards are available from $50-200,000 (including match) and include funding for larger proof-of-concept and later-stage commercialization studies, industry guidance, testing, early business plan for development of the technology and
customer validation and mentorship from industry and investment experts.
Funding Award Timeline
- November 1, 2024 – RFP Opens for Proposal Submission
- February 28, 2025 – Proposal Submission Deadline
- April 17, 2025 – Oversight Committee Selects Finalists
- May 22, 2025 – In Person Finalist Pitches to the Oversight Committee
- September 1, 2025 – Award Funding Cycle Begins
For more information contact:
Denise Graves
Commercialization Program Director, MTRAC Transportation
Phone: 734-936-5304
Email: [email protected]
Oversight Committee
The oversight committee consists of industry and investment experts who will provide consultation and mentoring to awarded teams.
Reilly Brennan
Trucks Venture Capital
Ben Cohen
Forvia Hella
Hella Ventures
Stefon Crawford
GM Ventures
Jay Ellis
Walmart
Paul Fanson, Ph.D.
Toyota Motor Corporation
Raggeria Goddard
Crowned Venture Capital
Don Manfredi
University of Michigan
Bradford Orr
University of Michigan
Stacy Paul
Array of Engineers
Bryce Pilz
University of Michigan
Lee Rawlings
Invest Detroit
Amanda Roraff
Ford Motor Company
Marji Smith
Ly iTECH
Chris Stallman
Fontinalis Partners
Manny Stockman
Osage University Partners
Jennifer Tisdale, CEO
GRIMM Cyber
Gian Vergnetti
Enertech Capital
Subject-Matter Experts
Brian Cardwell
Cooper Standard
Melanie Connolly
Cooper Standard
Christian Dickopf
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies
Sean Hilbert
Cobra AERO
Cindy Hupfel
Tata Technologies
Mark Ignash
Office of Defense & Aerospace Innovation
Ed Kim
Side Door Ventures MI Fund
Mike Marchand
Michelin (retired)
Andrei Mitran
Amazon Web Services
Sapna Patel
Michigan Capital Network
Clay Phillips
MI-SBDC
Alejandro Plazas
Eaton Energy Systems
Steven Sliger
Tata Technologies
Erin Spring
Goodyear
Dean Wurzell
National Advanced Mobility Consortium (NAMC)
Collaborators
Aaron Johnson
Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan (AIAM)
Ryan Michael
Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME)
Michele Mueller
Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
Kevin Mull
Bedrock Detroit
Bob Scipione
Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC)
Reuben Sarkar
American Center for Mobility (ACM)
Sean Simpson
Newlab Ventures@Michigan Central
Greg Stevens
MCity