Michigan Research Institute

Keith Jefferies | Wednesday, June 18, 2008

In academics, the idea of sharing research space is a given. Real estate in any university is a premium and labs learn to work cooperatively under one roof.

In the business world, things are a little different. Got a great pharmaceutical innovation? You still need to figure out where you can expand your research and development. That means laboratory space and equipment. Which means big bucks. Really big bucks. And without access to the necessary facilities and resources your idea may just die on the vine.

Enter the Michigan Research Institute (MRI), a not-for-profit technology incubator with 30, 000 square feet of reseach labs and offices. Launched by the MEDC, partnered with the University Of Michigan and currently home to nine promising start-ups, MRI currently provides $7 million per year in funding to the joint-venture projects it manages.

From Humvees to egg pasteurization to treatments for toe nail fungus, MRI
provides resources that assist new economy industries in a cooperative atmosphere. Their goal is to help local researchers --especially university researchers-- commercialize their innovations.

Click on the YouTube video below to learn more about this ground-breaking institution.