Frank Urban

Director, Venture Creation

Frank specializes in commercializing early-stage therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices, and assists in spinning out startup companies based on MSU innovations within the life sciences sector. He has worked with more than 200 startup companies since 2013 and has led efforts on multiple state and federal grant initiatives, corporate engagements, and expansion initiatives. This has resulted in $6 million in grant funding and sponsorships to the MSU Research Foundation. Frank also initiated efforts to incorporate SBIR/STTR and ARPA proposals into MSU Research Foundation programs, increasing funding from these programs by 40-fold.

Before joining the MSU Research Foundation, Frank was a Licensing Associate in the Office of Technology Commercialization at Wayne State University. He held various business development, sales, and scientific roles for a number of life science companies, including Everist Genomics, Charles River Laboratories, MIR Preclinical Services, Molecular Imaging Products, Pfizer, and Parke Davis. He also worked as a consultant for numerous startup companies and managed various laboratories at the University of Michigan.

Frank holds a Master of Science in Molecular Biology and a graduate certificate in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, General Science, and Physical Science from Concordia College.