About

Innovation Partnerships is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Research that provides service to U-M faculty by serving as the primary gateway for researchers seeking to increase the impact of their work by connecting with the private sector — whether this be through corporate sponsored research collaborations, licensing discussions, or connections with entrepreneurs and investors to support startup company formation. Our team of licensing, business development and investment professionals provides comprehensive step-by-step service to faculty starting with invention assessment and intellectual property support, followed by business mentoring and connections to early-stage capital from the Accelerate Blue Fund. Our team also helps faculty create new research collaborations with industry, allowing us to leverage our strong relationships with industry, investors and entrepreneurs to positively impact society and drive economic growth. We provide support to the faculty and researchers at all schools and colleges on the Ann Arbor campus, as well as U-M’s Dearborn and Flint campuses.

We Are Inspired

To redefine how world-class university research can fuel a region and solve the world’s great challenges.

We Believe In

Purpose

It’s our job to give every U-M technology its very best chance to positively impact the world.

Stewardship

We acknowledge the enormous responsibility we have to our inventors and the technologies entrusted to our care.

Experimentation

Like the scientists we serve, we believe in challenging assumptions, testing new approaches, and deploying innovative solutions.

Innovation

We believe in the transformative power of research, and we are inspired to create new models for university tech commercialization.

Service

We believe in providing phenomenal inventor-centered customer service.

Trust

We understand that it is our duty to provide transparent, proactive, and honest advice.

Collaboration

We believe that we accomplish more by working together, and sharing our individual knowledge.

Diversity

We know that we do our best work when we harness the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of our team members.

Relationships

It’s our objective to create long-term relationships that serve the University of Michigan community – not just win negotiations.

Impact

We are motivated to change lives, positively impact society, and advance our region’s innovation ecosystem.

Joy

We enjoy working with one another and we believe in celebrating success.