U-M innovation hub invests in mobility innovators

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor isn’t letting the pandemic stand in the way of solving mobility problems. In fact, the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) Innovation Hub for Advanced Transportation at U-M just awarded $710,000 to fund eight high tech projects. Seven of those are led by U-M researchers, the eighth by a Western Michigan University researcher.

Mobility solutions involve things like expanding autonomous driving systems, developing faster battery charging with less performance degradation, and reducing the cost of lightweight vehicles using an “extrusion design solution” that greatly cuts down on the volume of scrap.

The committee that selected the eight projects—consisting of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and transportation experts—will offer mentorship support to the project teams, who will also get help from U-M’s Tech Transfer staff.