Michigan Translational Research And Commercialization
Funds Michigan translation projects moving university research toward commercialization through innovation hubs.
The Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) program is a translational grant initiative administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) through five university-based Innovation Hubs, each dedicated to a distinct technology domain. The five hubs and their host institutions are: Agri Bio (Michigan State University), Life Sciences (University of Michigan), Advanced Transportation (University of Michigan), Advanced Materials (Michigan Technological University), and Advanced Computing (Wayne State University). The program has been statewide in this five-hub structure since 2016 and is funded through the Michigan Strategic Fund.
MTRAC is exclusively for Michigan institutional applicants — universities, hospital systems, and nonprofit research centers. For-profit companies cannot apply directly to MTRAC; instead, companies seeking access to MTRAC-funded research must engage the relevant hub institution. Eligible institutions submit proposals to the hub that corresponds to their technology domain, and each hub operates with its own evaluation timeline and guidelines. The program operates on a rolling basis, though individual hub cycles may have defined submission windows. Award amounts and specific cycle terms are published in a program guidelines PDF maintained at michiganbusiness.org.
The strategic logic of MTRAC is to bridge the gap between university research and commercialization-ready technology by providing translational R&D funds at the institutional level. Applicants should identify the appropriate hub before preparing materials — proposals submitted to the wrong hub are not redirected. Institutions with research in multiple domains (e.g., computational biology spanning Life Sciences and Advanced Computing) should select the hub most aligned with the primary commercialization pathway. Companies wishing to co-develop or license MTRAC-supported technology should initiate conversations with hub institutions early in their research planning cycle.
Five hubs: Agri Bio (MSU), Life Sciences (U-M), Advanced Transportation (U-M), Advanced Materials (Michigan Tech), Advanced Computing (Wayne State).
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