MTRAC Life Sciences — Mid-Stage Award
Supports MTRAC life sciences teams with mid-stage funding that advances prototypes toward clinical and industry use.
The MTRAC Life Sciences Mid-Stage Award is the larger funding tier within Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization, a statewide program co-managed by University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships and U-M Medical School's Fast Forward Medical Innovation office. The $2 million annual operating budget is funded equally by the Michigan Strategic Fund (via the Michigan Economic Development Corporation) and participating Michigan institutions. Since 2017, MTRAC Life Sciences has awarded more than $16.7 million across 91-plus projects, supporting the launch of 33 startups and the raising of over $233 million in follow-on capital by portfolio companies.
Mid-Stage awards range from $100,000 to $250,000 and cover one year of direct costs for projects advancing medical devices, diagnostics, therapeutics, or healthcare IT toward commercial readiness. Faculty salary support is capped at approximately 25 percent of total budget, with limited exceptions for software development projects. Applications close in October and awards are announced in January, making this a once-per-year cycle. Cost share from the investigator or sponsoring institution is required. The program is open to investigators at any Michigan institution of higher education, non-profit research center, or hospital system — it is not restricted to U-M faculty.
Awards also include regulatory guidance, business plan development support, and access to the MTRAC oversight committee, which includes industry experts from Arboretum Ventures, Deerfield, Eli Lilly, Renaissance Venture Capital, and J&J Innovation JLABS, among others. The submission portal is mitrac.infoready4.com. Winning applications demonstrate a commercializable technology with a defined regulatory pathway, realistic one-year milestones, and evidence of institutional commitment through cost share. Projects leading to startup formation or strategic partnering represent the historically strongest outcomes in the MTRAC portfolio.
Life sciences commercialization projects in medical devices, diagnostics, therapeutics, and healthcare IT at Michigan research institutions, funded as one-year direct-cost awards.
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