University Research Corridor

In 2006, the three leading research universities of Michigan - Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and The University of Michigan - enhanced their existing partnerships with the formation of the University Research Corridor. In aggregate, these institutions bring in nearly $1.4 billion of federal research dollars each year. [ http://www.urcmich.org/who/faq.html] The research consortium was formed to highlight the collective capabilities of these universities and drive the transformation of Michigan's economy.

MSU President Dr. Lou Anna Simon on the importance of the URC, "Michigan's three internationally recognized research institutions are essential to creating the intellectual capital and the technology breakthroughs that will make our state competitive. The URC generates innovations, new technologies, and new businesses that not only provide jobs, but also improve life for all citizens of Michigan." [http://www.ur.umich.edu/0809/Sep22_08/00.php]

All three schools are classified as a Research Intensive Universities (Very High research activity), or RU/VH, by the Carnegie Foundation. [http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/classifications/sub.asp?key=748&subkey=14807&start=782] These institutions initially united in the 1999 state-directed establishment of the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Life_Sciences_Corridor] Since the launch of the program, over 120 new companies in the Michigan life sciences industry have been created. [http://www.urcmich.org/who/faq.html]

Location

The URC is based in the southeast/south-central area of the Michigan's lower peninsula. Wayne State University is located in the heart of the state's largest city - Detroit - in the Midtown Cultural Center. With a student population of over 33K, the university is anchoring the rebirth of the surrounding area. Michigan State University is located four miles east of the Michigan State Capitol, in East Lansing, Michigan. The third university in the URC, The University of Michigan, is located 40 miles from Detroit in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Transportation

* The corridor is served by the three major interstate highways in Southeastern Michigan - I-75, I-94, and I-96. Enabling the close collaboration between these instutions, each school is under a two hour drive of their URC peers.
* The main airport of the region - among the top 20 largest airports in the world - is the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW). [ [http://www.airports.org/cda/aci_common/display/main/aci_content07_c.jsp?zn=aci&cp=1-5-54-55_666_2__ Passenger Traffic 2006 FINAL from Airports Council International] ] Both Wayne State University and The University of Michigan are roughly a half-hour drive from the Romulus, MI based DTW. However when traveling to East Lansing, the Capital City Airport is only a 20 minute commute to the Michigan State University campus.

Travel Time via DTW

* Ann Arbor (UofM) "30 minutes"
* Detroit (WSU) "25 minutes"
* East Lansing (MSU) "1 hour & 15 minutes"

Peer Comparison

Compared to other significant research clusters across the nation, the URC has similar outputs in terms of federal research dollars, invention disclosures, and patents. Other peer university clusters include those in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and California. Each of these groups includes three in-state research institutions which are well known for their R&D endeavors. In terms of human capital, the URC universities currently employ 49K people and educate 135K students. [http://www.urcmich.org/economic/2008/AEG_URC_FinalReport_Sept08.pdf] The student population of the URC campuses is the largest of any comparable research cluster. The collective living URC alumni in the state of Michigan total more than 550K people. [http://www.urcmich.org/economic/2008/AEG_URC_FinalReport_Sept08.pdf]

Ongoing Emphasis

Community Engagement
* The leaders from each of the three institution meet regularly to discuss progress and often organize jointly sponsored speaker forums. Three-time pulitzer prize-winning, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman recently spoke at a URC event focused on the global economy and sustainable energy.

Economic Stimulus
* An economic report detailing the collective successes of the URC universities in comparison to their peer clusters is released annually each fall.

Notes

External Links

* [http://www.urcmich.org URC]
* [http://www.msu.edu Michigan State University]
* [http://www.wayne.edu Wayne State University]
* [http://www.umich.edu University of Michigan]