(The Center Square) – The University of Michigan, Michigan Technological University, and Western Michigan University will receive $775,000 from the Mobility Public-Private Partnership & Programming Grant.
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II joined the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification to announce training programs for 200 students pursuing careers in mobility, electrification, and infrastructure.
“The state of Michigan has been laser-focused on building the talent necessary to make Michigan the best place to build the future,” Gilchrist said in a statement. “We’re proud to support our internationally renowned higher education institutions in their efforts to provide opportunities for our workforce to experience entrepreneurship, get hands-on testing experience, and explore world-changing ideas. Together, we’re making it clear that the future of cars, batteries, and tech is being made here in Michigan.”
• The University of Michigan: $500,000 to Perot Jain TechLab to place students in startup companies that focus on connected, autonomous, electric, and shared vehicles.
• Michigan Technological University: $100,000 to establish a drone operator training program for training Unmanned Aircraft Systems and drone pilots to safely operate around different types of infrastructure and collect condition data for effective asset management of bridges, roads, and other infrastructure.
• Western Michigan University: $175,000 to establish the West Michigan e-Mobility Testing Asset. WMU’s Center for Advanced Vehicle Design and Simulation will develop a piece of equipment to test gears at high rotational speeds.
The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity, launched the MP4 Grant program to help support partnerships and programs that address emerging mobility systems across all transportation modes – including air, ground, marine and off-road – throughout Michigan.
“Whether on the ground or in the sky, mobility innovation is critical to ensuring Michigan’s high-tech leadership,” Michigan Chief Mobility Officer Justine Johnson said in a statement. “These projects represent the strong research and collaboration that exists in Michigan’s mobility ecosystem. When educational and research institutions collaborate with the state, great things happen.”
The new grant program complements already-existing grant programs offered by the state, including the Mobility Wallet Challenge and the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform.
This is the second round of grants awarded through the MP4 Grant program. In June 2023 the first round of grants were awarded to Polaris Inc., Electric Outdoors, and Snowbotix.
