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University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
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MTRAC Advanced Transportation awards more than $1.5M to support mobility, transportation research projects

7/16/2024

ANN ARBOR—The Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub at the University of Michigan recently awarded more than $1.5 million to support 15 multidisciplinary early-stage to mid-stage research projects with high commercial potential.

U-M researchers from the Ann Arbor, Flint and Dearborn campuses, along with faculty from Western Michigan University, Wayne State University and Oakland University will receive a one-year grant from MTRAC to advance their research commercialization efforts. The winning projects range in scope from offshore renewable energy to virtual torque sensors for heavy duty trucks to AI-driven fuel design software. 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.

The MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub, administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation with funding from the Michigan Strategic Fund and Economic Development Administration’s Mobility Accelerator Innovation Network (MAIN) through TechTown Detroit, is co-managed by Innovation Partnerships and Michigan Engineering. The program aims to support translational research projects that have high commercialization potential, with the ultimate goal of launching new technologies into the mobility and transportation sectors. Innovators from all public universities, hospital systems and nonprofit research centers across Michigan are eligible to submit funding proposals.

“Over the past seven years, the MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub has awarded more than $7.4 million to accelerate 72 innovative research projects with high commercial potential,” said Kelly Sexton, associate vice president for research – innovation partnerships and economic impact.

“The Hub has a proven track record of success, having enabled the launch of 20 startup companies that have collectively raised over $50 million in follow-on funding. This pipeline of university innovation and startups is contributing to Michigan’s position as a leader in the development and deployment of advanced transportation technologies.”

Finalists pitched their proposals to an oversight committee of experienced technologists, entrepreneurs, industry partners and venture capitalists with a track record of commercializing and investing in frontier technologies. They provided feedback to and will mentor all projects that applied. 

This year’s MTRAC award recipients include:

  • Jun Chen, assistant professor of electrical engineering (Oakland University) – Sensor Reduction for Large Battery Packs
  • Hafiz Malik, professor of electrical and computer engineering (U-M-Dearborn) – Linking2Source: Digital Device Identification Using Digital Fingerprinting
  • Kartik Praful Naik, assistant research scientist of naval architecture and marine engineering, and Jing Sun, professor of naval architecture and marine engineering (U-M-Ann Arbor) – MORE-Multi-Source Offshore Renewable Energy
  • Mark Moldwin, professor of climate and space sciences and engineering (U-M-Ann Arbor) – Hybrid AC/DC Magnetometer with Attitude Determination and Control System
  • Aline Eid, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science (U-M-Ann Arbor) – Radar Vision for Autonomous Indoor Navigation
  • Vasileios Tzoumas, assistant professor of aerospace engineering (U-M-Ann Arbor) – Morphable Omnidirectional Quadrotor via a Novel Tilt-Rotor Technology
  • Alex Manohar, Ph.D. student of robotics (U-M-Ann Arbor) – Statistical Physics Maritime Prognostics
  • Jeremy Rickili, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering (Wayne State University) – Factory Execution @ Speed of Thought
  • Xiwen Gong, assistant professor of chemical engineering (U-M-Ann Arbor) – Low-cost, Large-scale Perovskite Solar Cells with High Efficiency and Stability
  • Muraldihar Ghantasala, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering (Western Michigan University) – Virtual torque sensor for heavy duty trucks and off-highway vehicles
  • Ali Arefifar, associate professor of electrical engineering (U-M-Flint) – Harmonic Mitigation in Electric Vehicle Chargers and Charging Stations
  • Neil Dasgupta, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering (U-M-Ann Arbor) – Lithium-Ion Batteries: Artificial SEI for Low-Temperature Performance and Accelerated Manufacturing
  • Angela Violi, professor of mechanical, chemical, biomedical and macromolecular science and engineering, professor of biophysics and applied physics (U-M-Ann Arbor) – AI-driven Fuel Design Software
  • Morteza Fayazi, Ph.D. student of electrical engineering and computer science (U-M-Ann Arbor) – Fully Automated Analog Circuit Generator Platform
  • Qingliu Wu, associate professor of chemical and paper engineering (Western Michigan University) – Lignin-Derived Cathode for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

“MTRAC Transportation is a proven catalyst for breakthrough innovations in the mobility and transportation sectors by providing funding to foster the development of novel technologies,” said Jennifer Tisdale, CEO of GRIMM Cyber and member of the MTRAC Advanced Transportation Oversight Committee. “This program empowers innovators to transform their ideas into market-ready solutions.” 

“During my tenure as an Oversight Committee member for the MTRAC program I have been fortunate to review, and support numerous mobility innovation proposals coming out of the State of Michigan’s public universities,” said Stefon Crawford, GM Ventures. “I am confident MTRAC will continue to be a foundational pathway for innovators to receive the proper coaching and funding needed to navigate the various pathways to commercialization success.” 

“This year, the MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub celebrates its seventh year funding projects in the transportation and mobility space that have high potential for positive, societal impact,“ said MEDC University Technology Program Director Larry Herriman.

“The funding, in combination with the resources and mentorship made available, have resulted in the funded projects thriving through licensing, job creation and follow-on funding. This program continues to be a success by not only enhancing people’s lives through transportation and mobility innovations, but in the positive impact on Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Additional information on partner MTRAC programs:

Co-funded through the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF), which is administered by the MEDC, the Economic Development Administration’s Mobility Accelerator Innovation Network (MAIN) through TechTown Detroit and through university cost-sharing, the MTRAC Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub at U-M is part of a network of statewide innovation hubs that includes the MTRAC Innovation Hub for Life Sciences at U-M, the MTRAC Innovation Hub for AgBio at Michigan State University, the MTRAC Innovation Hub for Advanced Materials at Michigan Technological University and the MTRAC Innovation Hub for Advanced Computing at Wayne State University. Each hub is strategically located at a university with significant strengths in the sector, further increasing the quality and quantity of resources available. Since the inception of the statewide program in 2016 through June 2024, MTRAC Innovation Hubs have received 706 proposals, funded 357 projects, developed 64 startup companies, licensed 32 technologies to industry partners and secured more than $296 million in follow-on funding.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

About Innovation Partnerships

Innovation Partnerships is the primary gateway for U-M researchers seeking to increase the impact of their work by connecting with the private sector. Innovation Partnerships’ team of experts helps amplify the impact of U-M research through corporate-sponsored research collaborations, licensing and intellectual property strategies, and connections with business mentors, entrepreneurs and investors to support startup company formation. Innovation Partnerships is a unit based in the Office of the Vice President for Research.

For more information, please visit https://innovationpartnerships.umich.edu