The journey of a biomedical idea to a final commercial product can take many paths. Below is a graphic demonstrating a sample commercialization pathway.

If you have a medical innovation idea or prototype and want to advance it to a commercial product, contact the Medical Innovation Center (MIC) or Office of Technology Transfer (OTT). The MIC and OTT work closely together to guide you on the path shown above. The activities in the yellow boxes are specifically performed by OTT; only OTT can draft and submit licenses and patent applications for University of Michigan technologies.

• A multipart, commercially-oriented assessment
• Risk mitigation for early-stage biomedical technologies and concepts
• Project management
• Product development guidance related to:
• identifying engineering and clinical collaborators
• developing designs, prototypes (in-house with MIC's Prototype Lab and in-coordination with external partners)
• determining regulatory, reimbursement pathways
• commercial plan development, execution
• IP coordination with the Office of Technology Transfer developing partnership and funding strategies

The MIC also offers a series of short on-line modules and documented "best practices" that provide an overview of the basics an inventor should know with respect to identifying a solid idea, navigating the regulatory approval process and protecting intellectual property. You do not have to be an expert in any of these areas, but there is a critical core of knowledge that you should have to increase your chances of success as a medical innovator. We supplement this material with hands-on guidance and access to a network of innovation and entrepreneurship professionals -- the University of Michigan Medical Device Ecosystem. For a detailed list of training and documentation resources, please contact us at UM-MIC@med.umich.edu.

If you are a first-time inventor at the University of Michigan, we recommend that you consult the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) to understand the guidelines and options.

For assistance or more specific questions, please contact us at: UM-MIC@med.umich.edu