DETROIT ? A new report shows Michigan’s University Research Corridor member schools worked on more than 1,400 auto-related research projects over the past five years, with a total expenditure at the schools of more than $300 million.
The reports also said URC schools – Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University ? were aided by the auto industry, which accounted for 28 percent of the $300 million, nine times the pace of all university R&D, which is 3 to 4 percent industry funded.
?Perhaps in no industry is the URC?s collective power to make significant contributions in innovation and talent more evident than in the automotive industry, said URC executive director Jeff Mason. ?Those efforts have helped Michigan?s auto industry surge back powerfully in recent years.?
Some of the effort was basic research allowing innovation to move faster. Other research involved working with specific companies and government sponsors to solve problems and assist in product development. The results made their way to the technology and improvements on display this month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
UM?s Transportation Research Institute conducts funding into auto topics ranging from diesel powertrains to connected vehicles. Michigan State University?s land grant and agricultural heritage plays out in research into biofuels and green technologies. And Wayne State?s engineering focus results in powertrain research, as well as biofuels at its TechTown research park.
In addition to research, the URC is helping the auto industry with its talent needs. Each year, the URC universities produce more than 3,600 graduates in the STEM fields, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. And 13,000 URC alumni currently work at the Detroit Three.
