LANSING – Efforts to spin more businesses out of mid-Michigan’s higher education institutions will be ramped up, thanks to a $250,000 grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

The grant to the Prima Civitas Foundation will further efforts to improve the mid-Michigan economy. Specifically, it will support comprehensive benchmarking and best-practices identification among Michigan higher educational institutions? commercialization and entrepreneurship programs.

This work will culminate in a regional convening of businesses, economic and workforce developers, policymakers, higher education institutions and others to set priorities and an action plan to embrace promising practices that support mid-Michigan?s emergence as a national center of excellence for business start-ups, licensing, and patents.

A PCF initiative, the Mid-Michigan Innovation Team, will lead the effort, in collaboration with its partners, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and the Michigan Entrepreneurial Education Network. MMIT represents a 13-county region that is home to a half dozen 4-year and three 2-year higher education institutions, not including satellite programs. MMIT activities are intended to drive regional prosperity through support of talent development, innovation, and commercialization.

?Regional transformation efforts play a crucial role in Michigan?s overall re-emergence as one of the most innovative and entrepreneurial economies in the world,? said David Hollister, MMIT board member and president and CEO of Prima Civitas. ?In order to diversify mid-Michigan?s economy, the region must work in collaboration to promote new business start-ups based on research and ideas coming out of higher education.?

Among the institutions expected to play a leading role in the grant initiative is Michigan State University (MSU), which is the MMIT WIRED grant fiduciary, a key partner in the state?s University Research Corridor (with University of Michigan and Wayne State University), and the recipient of more than $375 million in research and development gifts and grants in each of the last two years.

?MSU seeks to align our economic development efforts with partners across the state, in order to diversify Michigan?s economy and spur more business start-ups. As one important component of that statewide commitment, diversifying mid-Michigan?s economy will produce new jobs and economic opportunities that can benefit us all,? said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon.

MMIT is one of 13 original regions selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Labor?s Workforce Innovations In Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative. MMIT represents 2 million residents across 13 counties (Bay, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Huron, Ingham, Lapeer, Livingston, Midland, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee and Tuscola). Its mission is to drive regional prosperity by reorienting and reinventing the region?s industrial base, developing next-generation talent, and capitalizing on the region?s assets, partnerships, and networks. The Prima Civitas Foundation, a nonprofit community and economic development organization, was chosen by the MMIT board to manage the strategic impact of its WIRED-funded projects and goals.

For more information, click on MidMIInnovationTeam.Org

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