Michigan research corridor channels 210 companies
Michigan’s University Research Corridor (URC) has developed 210 companies since 2002, with more than a third of them (79) in the past five years, according to the 10th Annual Economic Impact & Benchmark Report. The URC is an alliance of Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. A total of 22 businesses were produced in 2015, exceeding the URC’s five-year average and surpassing annual totals in each of the previous four years. The URC also surpassed its five-year average for the number of patents issued, licensing and options activity as well as invention disclosures. M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University, said: “When the R&D happening at the URC is taken out of the lab and into the market it drives a variety of business results, creating new jobs and generating investments in our communities.” The report said the URC contributed $16.5 billion to Michigan’s economy, an increase of $3.7 billion since 2007, the year the alliance was formed and began benchmarking its impact on Michigan.
