University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships (Coulter + MTRAC Life Sciences)

Funds Michigan translational teams through Coulter and MTRAC programs supporting U M research to startup growth and clinical impact.

University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships (formerly U-M Tech Transfer) advances the commercial impact of U-M research through licensing, startup formation, and translational funding. Two grant programs operate under this umbrella: the Coulter Translational Research Partnership Program — funded by a $20M Wallace H. Coulter Foundation endowment through U-M BME since 2006 — and the MTRAC Life Sciences Innovation Hub, a 50/50 state–university co-funded program administered jointly with U-M Fast Forward Medical Innovation.

The Coulter program funds U-M faculty teams bridging engineering and clinical medicine; since 2006 it has supported 22 startup companies and helped its cohort raise over $544M in follow-on capital. MTRAC Life Sciences is one of five statewide MTRAC hubs (the others sit at MSU, Michigan Tech, Wayne State, and U-M Advanced Transportation); it awards Kickstart grants up to $42,500 and Mid-Stage grants of $100,000–$250,000 to researchers across any Michigan institution of higher education, hospital system, or nonprofit research center.