Key Industry
Industry profile: Life and Health Sciences
The University Research Corridor (URC), a university innovation cluster comprising Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, is a driving force and vital resource in Michigan’s vigorous life and health sciences industry. The URC universities conduct cutting-edge research, foster entrepreneurship and cultivate a pipeline of talented graduates, providing companies with access to groundbreaking discoveries and a skilled workforce. The success of URC universities has contributed to Michigan’s robust network of incubators, accelerators, and partnerships with industry leaders like Pfizer, Stryker, and Ascension. URC universities and their partners collaborate to facilitate the seamless translation of scientific advancements into commercially viable products and services, accelerating the path from lab to market. Life and health sciences companies can tap into this vibrant ecosystem to reap the benefits of the URC’s intellectual capital, resources and commitment to advancing human health and well-being.
Contact us
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Phone: (517) 999-4007
URC Schools Drive Life and Health Sciences Advancements in Michigan and Around the Globe
“Pfizer’s continued investment in Michigan highlights the state’s leadership in life sciences and medical device manufacturing and our commitment to growing high-wage tech jobs to strengthen economic opportunity for Michiganders.”
- Quentin Messer Jr., MEDC CEO and Michigan Strategic Fund President and Chair
Metrics
Talent
The URC universities house allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools, along with schools of dentistry (DDS other oral health sciences) and veterinary medicine (DVM), and physician assistant (PA) and nursing programs
Michigan’s URC is the top university innovation cluster in the country for undergraduate and advanced degrees in medicine and biological science.1 The URC universities issue 12,000 biomedical and bioscience degrees each year.2
The URC continues to rank number one and produce more graduates in the medical field than any other university innovation cluster. In 2022, URC institutions granted 2,555 medical degrees—topping 2,500 degrees for the fourth year in a row. The next highest peer cluster granted 1,474 medical field degrees in 2022.
Growth
The URC universities offer medical curriculum and training programs designed to promote both medical acumen and personal growth with the goal of graduating well-rounded, expert physicians with a strong understanding of the communities they will serve.
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MSU has a College of Osteopathic Medicine in addition to its College of Human Medicine and offers unique training opportunities for medical students through its Rural Physician Program (RPP)
MSU has a College of Osteopathic Medicine in addition to its College of Human Medicine and offers unique training opportunities for medical students through its Rural Physician Program (RPP). The RPP is one of the pioneer rural medical training programs in the nation and has served as a model for similar programs throughout the world. The RPP provides students with outstanding, state-of-the-art training facilities while maintaining a humanistic, personalized experience. While the program was initially designed for students entering primary care fields, graduates can and have gone into nearly all specialties.3
The U-M Medical School’s Trunks and Branches curriculum allows medical school students to explore nontraditional and complementary paths of study
The U-M Medical School’s Trunks and Branches curriculum allows medical school students to explore nontraditional and complementary paths of study. Trunks are the foundational first two years of medical school, and Branches are the third and fourth years. In the Trunk phase, students have the opportunity to choose one of seven Paths for Excellence for deeper study to complement and enhance their medical school experience and prepare them to be leaders in their chosen area of concentration. The curriculum is designed to help students develop their clinical skills, refine their career goals and prepare for their future careers.
The Wayne State School of Medicine is redesigning and re-engineering the way it educates physicians-in-training to focus on real-world outcomes through its Highways to Excellence Curriculum
The Wayne State School of Medicine is redesigning and re-engineering the way it educates physicians-in-training to focus on real-world outcomes through its Highways to Excellence Curriculum. In addition to more-traditional clinical training experiences, the curriculum is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of health needs and social determinants of health as well as multiple ways to take advantage of service-learning, community engagement and research opportunities.
Research and Development
In fiscal year 2022, URC schools spent more than $1.548 billion on research and development in the life sciences, including biological and biomedical sciences, health sciences and agricultural sciences.4, 5
URC universities played a significant role in developing critical tools and therapies during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, more than 500 COVID-19-related research projects were underway and more than 100 clinical trials, medical devices and COVID-19 testing protocols were being developed at URC universities. URC universities developed 65-plus new technologies available for license, spanning from new models for PPE to testing assays to antiviral therapeutics.6
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The U-M Taubman Medical Research Institute
The U-M Taubman Medical Research Institute provides space and resources for scientists to seek cures and treatment for common and debilitating diseases and conditions. Research includes development of a precision medicine approach in solid organ transplantation, an implantable treatment for iatrogenic hypothyroidism in cancer patients and identifying therapies to treat strokes and heart attacks.7
Wayne State’s Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio) facility is designed to foster collaboration and promote a team science approach to research
Wayne State’s Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio) facility is designed to foster collaboration and promote a team science approach to research. With 200,000 square feet of lab and clinical space, IBio brings together more than 40 discrete teams of researchers and clinicians spanning environmental sciences, medicine, bio- and systems engineering and biobehavioral health. The facility is dedicated to studying and eliminating health disparities plaguing Detroit residents.8,9 IBio’s Clinical Research Service Center supports translational sciences and clinical trials for both pediatric and adult research and is designed to conduct all facets of clinical research studies, drug studies inclusive of phase 1 pharmacokinetic studies, outpatient follow up visits, community engagement research as well as behavioral studies.10
The MSU Grand Rapids Innovation Park is a collaborative health innovation hub for biomedical research, bioengineering and health technology
The MSU Grand Rapids Innovation Park is a collaborative health innovation hub for biomedical research, bioengineering and health technology. The combined strengths of MSU biomedical research, big data and analytics, a robust statewide educational and research network and West Michigan’s outstanding health systems can work together to transform health care.11
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers
URC universities are home to National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers, supporting critical research on environmental impacts on human health for Michigan and the nation.
- Wayne State’s Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors (CURES) is dedicated to identifying environmental stressors that affect human health in urban Detroit, discovering mechanisms that lead to disease susceptibility and developing workable solutions to public health problems. CURES has received numerous grants from federal sources to investigate and mitigate health impacts from environmental factors.12
- U-M Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease seeks to improve understanding of the contribution of environmental exposures toward the etiology of chronic diseases and conditions like asthma, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic syndrome and prematurity.13
- The MSU Superfund Research Center (SRC) has had continuous funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program since 1988. The SRC conducts human health–oriented research on risks from exposure to chemicals commonly found in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund sites and on remediation technologies to eliminate the potential for exposure to chemicals from those sites.14
The C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development located on Wayne State’s medical campus
The C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development located on Wayne State’s medical campus advances research and promotes research training relating to the health of women, men and children, with a focus on reproductive biology, immunology, oncology, toxicology and prenatal medicine.15
The researchers of the partnership Henry Ford + Michigan State University have secured nearly $50 million in funding since the 2022 recognition by the National Institutes of Health
The researchers of the partnership Henry Ford + Michigan State University have secured nearly $50 million in funding since the 2022 recognition by the National Institutes of Health. This partnership is building a 335,000-square-foot health sciences research center to open in 2027 in Detroit. The center will further fuse our basic and translational research, serving as an epicenter for innovation and discovery, with a special focus on ending health disparities.16
The U-M Life Sciences Institute (LSI) is an interdisciplinary science unit working to advance life science research
The U-M Life Sciences Institute (LSI) is an interdisciplinary science unit working to advance life science research. The institute hosts the Centers for Chemical Genomics and Structural Biology and several technologies, including cryo-electron microscopy, natural products discovery, mass spectrometry and drug discovery. LSI provides scientists with a research home designed to foster creative risk taking, interdisciplinary collaboration and professional growth. It also houses the Biointerfaces Institute, a multidisciplinary research institution focused on the interface between biological systems and materials, which is critical for advances in both health care and biotechnological applications.18
MSU, U-M, Wayne State, Henry Ford Health and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services received funding for their research on an NIH program called ECHO–Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes
MSU, U-M, Wayne State, Henry Ford Health and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services received funding for their research on an NIH program called ECHO–Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes. The funding is to support a continuation of a long-term study of how exposure to environmental factors during pregnancy and early childhood can impact health for a lifetime. Study participants are mothers, infants and children from across the United States.19
The Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research at U-M
The Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research at U-M received NIH funding to improve the process of translational research to deliver more treatments to more patients more quickly.20
Wayne State University Center for Emerging and Infectious Diseases
Wayne State University Center for Emerging and Infectious Diseases supports training, research, engagement and public health infrastructure related to infectious and noncommunicable diseases.21
MSU’s Biomedical Engineering Facility
MSU’s Biomedical Engineering Facility brings together faculty scientists from the Colleges of Engineering, Human Medicine and Natural Science, and houses the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering. Research at the facility includes studying regenerative biology and cell programming and developing and improving electrodes that can be implanted in the brain to better understand neurological function and treatments.22
8Source: ibio.wayne.edu
9Source: educationsnapshots.com
10Source: ibio.wayne.edu
11Source: innovationparkgr.msu.edu
Successful Commercialization and Technology Transfer
Michigan’s URC universities are leaders in technology commercialization among university clusters.23
License options
Licensing revenue
Start-Ups Launched
Patents awarded
Invention disclosures
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Technology transfer at Wayne State
Technology transfer at Wayne State includes technology that uses automatic speech recognition to improve the electronic medical records process;24 technology for the treatment of a variety of metastatic tumors including pancreatic, ovarian, colorectal, and breast cancers;25 and a shunt system that adjusts the flow of cerebrospinal fluid out of the brain based on the patient’s body and activity.26
The Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) for Life Sciences Innovation Hub co-managed by U-M Medical School’s Fast Forward Medical Innovation Program and U-M Innovation Partnerships
The Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) for Life Sciences Innovation Hub co-managed by U-M Medical School’s Fast Forward Medical Innovation Program and U-M Innovation Partnerships is a statewide program supporting translational research projects with high commercial potential, with the ultimate goal of positively impacting human health. The MTRAC hub is funded by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Michigan Strategic Fund and participating institutions, including the MSU Innovation Center.27
MSU researchers developed a nanoparticle-sized vaccine delivery platform called Q Beta
MSU researchers developed a nanoparticle-sized vaccine delivery platform called Q Beta that has the potential to unlock treatments for a wide variety of viruses and diseases—from cancers to infections and even opioid addiction. With MSU Technologies (MSUT) and the MSU Research Foundation, MSU’s lead researcher launched Iaso Therapeutics to continue the landmark research into the Q-Beta antigen delivery platform.28
xR Therapeutics, a Wayne State University startup, is a Michigan-based digital health company
xR Therapeutics, a Wayne State University startup, is a Michigan-based digital health company commercializing ExposXR, the first augmented reality solution for the treatment of phobias and other anxiety disorders.29
The Accelerate Blue Fund (ABF) at U-M is an early-stage venture fund investing in U-M licensed startups
The Accelerate Blue Fund (ABF) at U-M is an early-stage venture fund investing in U-M licensed startups. ABF invests in life sciences companies like Arcascope, a health software developer, and INHERET, which develops tools to support those affected by hereditary cancer.
Medical isotope producer Niowave, Inc. is a spinoff from the MSU Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
Medical isotope producer Niowave, Inc. is a spinoff from the MSU Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, supplying medical radioisotopes used in diagnostic and therapeutic treatments. These isotopes enable the detection of life-threatening conditions such as cancer and heart disease for better patient outcomes.30
26Source: engineering.wayne.edu
27Source: innovationpartnerships.umich.edu
28Source: innovationcenter.msu.edu
29Source: renvcf.com
30Source: michiganbusiness.org
Powerful partnerships
Partnership highlights
The Karmanos Cancer Institute
The Karmanos Cancer Institute was formed from a partnership between Meyer L. Prentis Comprehensive Cancer Center of Metropolitan Detroit, the Wayne State University Cancer Institute, the Michigan Cancer Foundation, and the clinical cancer programs of the Detroit Medical Center to provide an urban-based center of research, patient care, and education dedicated to the prevention, early detection, treatment and eventual eradication of cancer.31
Henry Ford Health and MSU Health Sciences launched a 30-year partnership in January 2021 with “a bold purpose of advancing a new standard of healthcare
Henry Ford Health and MSU Health Sciences launched a 30-year partnership in January 2021 with “a bold purpose of advancing a new standard of healthcare.” HFH + MSU Health Sciences—as the partnership has been branded—has garnered tens of millions of dollars in funding from the NIH and National Cancer Institute, contributed to advancements in research and treatments for cancer and other diseases and has funded other organizations to advance cancer research and reduce health disparities.32
University of Michigan Health and Trinity Health have a partnership
University of Michigan Health and Trinity Health have a partnership committed to sharing resources, best practices and more to drive innovation and provide high levels of care for patients. Through several unique collaborations, these two award-winning health systems are working together to improve to care for the communities they serve.33
MichBio
MichBio, Michigan’s official bio-industry association, seeks to drive bio-industry growth in pharmaceuticals and therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, research tools, healthcare and bio-informatics, nutritional health, clinical research, industrial biotechnology and biofuels and bioagriculture. URC and MichBio have co-hosted a biannual drug discovery conference since 2015.
Rationale
Michigan leads in life and health sciences
The life and health sciences industry has grown and evolved in Michigan, a unique place that brings together research, innovation, talent, manufacturing and services that support a robust ecosystem where legacy companies and startups can thrive and make a powerful impact on residents, communities and the state economy. Michigan is ranked 9th for pharmaceutical industry employment in the U.S. and is the 10th largest medical device state.
The URC universities are sought-after partners for leading universities and hospitals across the country. Often, the best partners are the ones in your backyard where working together has a significant impact on people, communities and industry. The URC universities have engaged in important collaborations with each other, such as the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) project funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Collectively they are licensing life and health science discoveries and supporting startups, and preparing thousands of graduates in medicine and biological fields.
Favorable policies
Michigan uses a variety of tools that make it competitive in attracting life and health sciences–related investments. The life sciences industry is an essential to the MEDC’s Make It in Michigan initiative, the state’s high-growth, knowledge-based economic development strategy.
For example, the Michigan Strategic Fund, which has broad authority to promote economic development in Michigan, approved a $1 million investment into a $465 million project by Pfizer to construct a Modular Aseptic Processing facility—one of the world’s most technically advanced sterile injectable pharmaceutical production facilities—that is projected to add almost 450 new jobs in Portage.34
34Source: michiganbusiness.org
Economic Activity and Workforce
Michigan is a leader in establishing a strong workforce for the life and health sciences sector. Michigan’s competitiveness in the medical devices industry is affirmed by its top-ten placement in the medical devices manufacturing workforce category.35
Michigan also ranks in the top ten for number of medical device technology business locations in the U.S.36
The medical devices manufacturing industry employs more than 12,000 people in Michigan, ranking in the top ten nationally.37
Michigan ranks ninth in the nation in the pharmaceuticals employment sector with 9,956 jobs.38
Ann Arbor is top ten in Life Sciences R&D employment growth and top 15 in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding since 2019, according to Commercial real estate giant CBRE.39
Michigan’s life sciences sector has experienced a 10-year job growth rate of 27%, outpacing the national average by 11%.40
West Michigan, home to Grand Rapids and the Medical Mile, has more than 100,000 health science jobs, more than 500 health science establishments and more than 50 medical device manufacturers.41
Culture of innovation
The city of Detroit—Michigan’s largest city and the home of WSU—is the number one emerging startup ecosystem in North America, according to Startup Genome. The publication cited “the funding, local business network, and support resources” for transforming Detroit into “one of the country’s most promising innovation and startup hubs.”6
Michigan’s venture capital industry grew to historic highs in 2022, with a total deal value of $1.2 billion, and has remained resilient in 2023. Key emerging segments with top fundraising companies include life sciences, cleantech, mobility, and artificial intelligence. In addition to startups Michigan is home to leading pharmaceutical and world-class MedTech companies like Pfizer and Stryker, making the Great Lakes State a prime location for innovative, impactful jobs in the life and health sciences. Learn more at You Can In Michigan.
6Source: urcmich.org
Location
Success Stories
New reports show employment and economic impact of research at URC universities
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Crain’s Detroit Business: UM-MSU-Wayne State alliance rolling out welcome mat for businesses
From Crain’s Detroit Business: Leaders of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University, which founded URC...
WJR: Leading Michigan University Leaders Speak to the Detroit Economic Club
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Bridge Michigan: Universities must work together to keep graduates in Michigan, leaders say
From Bridge Michigan: Leaders of Michigan’s three largest universities say they must work together to help create jobs and keep...
