New Round of Make It in Michigan Mobility Prototyping Grants Opens

LANSING – The State of Michigan announced the launch of the next round of the Make It in Michigan Mobility Prototyping Grant Program, a key initiative aimed at strengthening the state’s leadership in mobility, electrification, autonomous systems, and advanced manufacturing innovation.

The application deadline is July 7. Final award selections are expected to be announced by Sept. 1, with projects set to begin in October.

Led by the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and the Michigan Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation (ODAI), in partnership with Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University, the program offers grant awards of up to $100,000 per company, with a total funding pool of $2 million available dedicated for product development of mobility technology.

“The Make It in Michigan Mobility Prototyping Program is a critical part of our strategy to ensure Michigan remains the global leader for designing, engineering, and manufacturing next-generation mobility solutions,” said Justine Johnson, Chief Mobility Officer with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, in this video interview. “This program will help us not only support Michigan-grown innovation but also attract best-in-class companies to engineer, build and scale their technologies right here in Michigan.”

The grant program will provide technical services and financial support to startups and established companies working across all modes of mobility — air, ground, and sea — with a focus on uncrewed autonomous systems, critical mobility components addressing domestic supply chain gaps, and other breakthrough mobility innovations.

Companies with technologies at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4 through 9 are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to applicants that commit to developing, piloting, and manufacturing their technologies in Michigan, particularly within OFME’s test site network, innovation districts, and defense innovation centers. The program also emphasizes dual-purpose technologies with both commercial and defense applications.

You can learn more at https://www.centrepolisaccelerator.com/Programs/Make-it-in-Michigan-Prototype-Grant-Program

About the Author: Mike Brennan

Founder of Michigan News Network, and serves as CEO, as well as Editor & Publisher of MITECHNEWS.COM. Brennan has worked since 1980 as a technology writer at newspapers in New York, NY, San Jose, CA., Seattle, WA., Memphis, TN., Detroit, MI., and London, England. He co-founded and served as managing editor of Pacific Rim News Service (SEATTLE), which developed a network of more than 100 freelance journalists in 17 Asia-Pacific countries.