Michigan Emerging Technologies Fund

Michigan Emerging Technologies Fund

Funds Michigan technology companies with matching grants alongside active federal small business innovation awards.

The Michigan Emerging Technologies Fund (ETF) is a matching grant program that provides state-level co-investment alongside active federal SBIR and STTR awards, administered by the Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC) on behalf of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The program is explicitly a match instrument — a company must already hold an active federal SBIR or STTR proposal to qualify. Phase I federal awards are matched with up to $25,000 from ETF; Phase II federal awards are matched with up to $125,000. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with no fixed annual deadline.

Eligibility is restricted to Michigan technology-based companies. The program is sector-agnostic within technology, covering advanced manufacturing, life sciences, medical devices, energy, materials, artificial intelligence, robotics, and defense technology — any domain where federal SBIR/STTR programs are active. Because Phase II match funding ($125,000) substantially exceeds Phase I match ($25,000), companies are advised to plan the ETF application as part of their Phase II federal submission strategy from the outset. Applications are submitted through the Michigan ETF portal at mietf.org, not through the general MEDC michiganbusiness.org site, as the program is SBDC-administered.

The ETF effectively lowers the risk and cost burden of federal SBIR/STTR pursuit for Michigan companies, allowing teams to sustain operations and accelerate development during the gap between federal award notification and first payment disbursement. Companies that have filed or are preparing Phase I or Phase II federal submissions should apply to ETF concurrently. Out-of-state companies are not eligible; Michigan facility and operations are required. The program has been continuously funded by the Michigan Strategic Fund.