Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Grant Opportunities

In 2008, Michigan’s public universities collectively defined a seven-year program of significant investment with economic impact, The Michigan Initiative for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (MIIE), leveraged from strong research, business outreach, and commercialization activities at each institution.

Initiated by a $2 million planning grant from the C. S. Mott Foundation (Fall 2007), and supplemented by the New Economy Initiative of Southeast Michigan, this consortium of public and research universities proposes to achieve the following:

Develop effective and long lasting partnerships between academia, industry, and government to leverage existing infrastructure, resources and expertise;
Generate risk capital whose purpose is directed exclusively to founding high potential new ventures within Michigan;
Make education and investment in entrepreneurship a priority;
Develop an entrepreneurial environment in the state at the policy and investment levels; and a cultural and technical environment in our cities that can sustain new and diversified knowledge enterprises in Michigan;
Create a culture of innovation in Michigan that supports a willingness to take risks, to continue learning and changing across a lifetime, and to fully develop and retain the talents and skills necessary for a knowledge economy.
Establish a reputation for the region that will make Michigan a desirable location for innovation, and that will draw research and development, businesses, and start-ups from other states and nations.

Ultimately, the goal is to create the “critical mass” of people, ideas, attitudes, and organizations that can ignite and sustain an on-going statewide culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Three Strategic Funds will emerge from this unique initiative. For more information on the funds and RFPs click here

Page last modified February 5, 2009