Innovation Partnerships has announced the funding of six new Postdoctoral Commercialization Fellowships, based on the strong commercialization potential of the recipients’ doctoral research.
The fellows will be supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s Tech Transfer Talent Network, along with the U.S. Economic Development Association Global Epicenter for Mobility program and the Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
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The new fellows are:
- Charlie Childs, Department of Internal Medicine, Michigan Medicine.
- Ijaz ul Haq, College of Innovation and Technology, UM-Flint.
- Tomasz Kulakowski, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering.
- Marco Mangano, Department of Naval Architecture, CoE.
- Waad Naim, Department of Chemical Engineering, CoE.
- Gabriel Saccol, College of Engineering and Computer Science, UM-Dearborn.
Their time in the fellowship program will provide them the opportunity to further develop their innovations into marketable products and services. Each postdoctoral researcher will receive up to $50,000 to further advance their research, including funding from T3N or EDA GEM and matching contributions from the university.
In addition to their funding, fellows will also receive support from a Mentor-in-Residence provided by the Tech Transfer Talent Network and the Global Epicenter for Mobility program.
Awardees are selected for the postdoctoral commercialization fellowship by the Innovation Partnerships Ventures team. To be eligible, applicants must be a postdoctoral researcher from one of U-M’s three campuses and conduct research in an area that has strong commercialization potential.
Applicants are nominated by their supervising principal investigator, with each applicant’s funding match committed prior to selection.
“The postdoctoral commercialization fellowship is one of the most transformative opportunities our ecosystem offers,” said Kelly Sexton, associate vice president for research – innovation partnerships and economic impact.
“The program provides a unique pathway for postdocs to develop their ideas into impactful innovations. Through this fellowship, they have the chance to either license their technologies to industry partners or explore the path of becoming startup founders themselves.”
Ten previous Postdoctoral Commercialization Fellows have gone on to become startup CEOs, collectively raising more than $100 million, with 90% of the companies continuing their ventures in Michigan.
“Our postdoctoral commercialization fellows exemplify the kind of ingenuity, talent and drive that makes successful entrepreneurs,” said Ben Marchionna, the chief innovation ecosystem officer for the MEDC and state of Michigan. “Commercialization of university research is key to strengthening our state economy, and these innovators are at the forefront of this important mission.”
