 The University of Michigan Medical Innovation Center was made possible with seed funding and support from the Schools of Medicine, Business,
Dentistry, the
College of Engineering, the
Office of the Vice
President for Research (OVPR), the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR), and the
University of Michigan Department of
Surgery.
The Vision
Innovation at medical centers has essentially been left to chance. Only by chance will a
clinician successfully pursue an idea by overcoming early development barriers:
- Securing funding,
- Addressing the FDA regulatory process,
- Identifying appropriate collaborators, and
- The clinician's inexperience in approaching industry.
Even if this early-stage development is successful, the clinician's idea may fail without the
successful navigation of the complexities of commercialization:
- Patents/licensing,
- Regulatory issues,
- Reimbursement, and
- Financing.
Dealing with these barriers and complexities is overwhelming when added to the
clinician's existing need to handle existing obligations.
To help clinicians overcome barriers and navigate the complexities above,
a systematic program to encourage and enhance innovation is needed,
thus the formation of the UM Medical Innovation Center (UM-MIC).
The UM-MIC Commitment
The UM Medical Innovation Center will improve health by
- educating tomorrow's leaders in biomedical innovation
- assisting University of Michigan faculty, alumni and partners transition their ideas from early
development to commercialization
Our education commitment is achieved through the following components
designed for a small, multi-disciplinary group of fellows:
- an intensive, participatory curriculum of teaching modules
- field trips to industry leaders
- clinical immersion to facilitate the identification of innovation opportunities
Our innovation assistance commitment is achieved by providing:
- Access to education teaching modules above
- Introductions to collaborators, funding sources and industry partners
- Access to our Prototyping Lab
- Project management assistance including liaising with the Technology Transfer
Office, the Business Engagement Center and other entrepreneurial/translational groups across campus
The Michigan Difference
There are only a few Universities nationwide that have the robust and co-located
resources enjoyed by the University of Michigan:
The College of Engineering
- with over $132 million in grants and two National Science Foundation-sponsored Engineering
Research Centers.
The Ross School of Business
- one of the most sought after MBA programs nationally
- home to the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, a globally recognized program
training future entrepreneurs.
Medical and Dental Schools and Health System
- Medical School ranked 11th in 2008 US News and World Report and stands 7th in NIH grant funding
- Dental School considered one of the nation's leaders and stands 2nd in NIH grant funding
- UM Health System ranked 13th in 2008 US News and World Report
The UM-MIC also maintains strong working relationships with other parties critical to the
commercialization process including:
- Office of Technology Transfer (OTT)
- Business Engagement Center (BEC)
- Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)
- many other entrepreneurial and translational groups on campus
Global Reach
Once the Innovation Center has sufficient funds, a Global Innovation Alliance program will be
established. This program will provide international fellows the opportunity to be trained at the
UM-MIC and then, through support by UM-MIC, we will facilitate the establishment of innovation
programs at their parent institutions. With global markets in perspective, the Global Alliance
Program will address the need to develop low-cost biomedical technologies that will
improve health for those in emerging countries and for those who suffer from rare or
"orphan" diseases based on US markets.
If you would like more information on MIC, please contact us at
UM-MIC@med.umich.edu.
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