Innovation Partnerships

Innovation Partnerships is a unit within the U-M Office of Research that serves the community of innovators on all 3 UM campuses, Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint. Innovation Partnerships is responsible for commercializing inventions and discoveries that emerge from UM research. We enhance these research discoveries to encourage licensing and broad deployment with existing businesses and newly-formed UM start-ups. UM Innovation Partnerships has earned a reputation for performance among the top 10 of all universities.

About
U-M Innovation Partnerships is responsible for the commercialization of inventions based on UM intellectual property. We have the expertise, resources, and connections to help your ideas reach their full potential. We are part of a university-wide collaboration to create an environment that encourages exploration, discovery, innovation, and risk-taking. Innovation Partnerships works closely with other UM partners to ENCOURAGE our faculty researchers in preparation for the technology commercialization process. Our work is a partnership with inventors and market partners to assess, develop, and unleash the power of your discoveries.

Assessment
Assessment links what an invention is to what benefits it can provide. We create a clear picture of the invention, the market potential, and a model for moving forward.

  1. Research
  2. Invention Disclosure
  3. Initial Review
  4. Fellows Report
  5. Market Analysis
  6. Protection Steps

Develop
We align our concepts to customer requirements and reduce risk to make our innovations more marketable. We protect discoveries to encourage partners to make follow-on investments.

  1. Customer Discovery
  2. Advance Technology
  3. Reduce Risk

Launch
We market to uncover prospects and refine our offering. Then, we negotiate creative agreements with licensees to unleash the power of your ideas.

  1. Faculty Engagement
  2. Prospect Identification
  3. Demonstrate Discovery
  4. Partner Selection
  5. Model and Negotiate
  6. Agreement Management