MSU Research Foundation Joins Launch of Statewide Innovation Alliance

EAST LANSING, Mich. (May 21, 2026) — The MSU Research Foundation joined more than 60 organizations from across Michigan in launching the Innovation Alliance, a first-of-its-kind statewide effort designed to better connect research universities, investors, corporations, founders, and startups so more companies can start, scale, and stay in Michigan.

Building on years of collaboration among Michigan’s innovation leaders, the Innovation Alliance aims to strengthen coordination across the state’s innovation economy and support the state’s long-term economic competitiveness.

“Research universities are among the most powerful economic development assets any state can have,” said David Washburn, Chief Executive Officer of the MSU Research Foundation. “Michigan’s universities generate world-class research, talent, and technologies every day. The opportunity is creating stronger connections among founders, investors, corporations, and public partners so more discoveries become companies and more of that growth happens in Michigan.”

The effort builds on the statewide coalition that helped advance the Michigan Innovation Fund and underscored the importance of sustained collaboration among business leaders, research universities, investors, founders and startup organizations.

Michigan has world-class research institutions, deep industrial strength and talented entrepreneurs across multiple regions, but statewide outcomes do not consistently match those strengths. Too often, strong efforts operate in parallel instead of reinforcing one another. The Innovation Alliance was created to better connect Michigan’s innovation assets so more ideas become companies, more companies find capital and more growth and investment stays in the state.

A stronger innovation economy has implications beyond startups. When Michigan turns more research, talent and industrial know-how into growing companies, it can create good jobs, help existing employers compete and expand opportunity for suppliers, skilled trades and small businesses across the state.

“Michigan has no shortage of talented founders, promising technologies, or entrepreneurial ambition,” said Jeff Wesley, Executive Director of Ventures at the MSU Research Foundation. “The opportunity is creating stronger pathways to capital, customers, talent, and mentorship so more startups can scale here. The Innovation Alliance helps connect those resources across the state and gives founders a stronger support system at every stage of growth.”

Michigan has seen significant innovation momentum in recent years, including nearly 10 unicorn companies since 2018 and a top ten national ranking for the value of research and development created in the state. But despite those successes, Michigan still ranks 32nd among peer states in early and growth-stage funding and captures significantly less venture capital per research dollar than leading innovation economies. University of Michigan startups that left Michigan between 2020 and 2022 raised roughly four times as much capital after relocating, underscoring the need to close the gap and anchor more high-growth companies in Michigan.

The Innovation Alliance is designed to bring greater connection and clarity across Michigan’s innovation ecosystem so shared effort leads to measurable progress statewide. The Alliance will focus on aligning strategy, strengthening capital networks, supporting commercialization and improving how Michigan shows up nationally as a place for innovation and investment. The Alliance will also research and promote public policy recommendations grounded in data, best practices and the experiences of founders, investors, businesses and research institutions across Michigan.

“Michigan already has strong organizations supporting innovation and entrepreneurship across the state,” said Jeff Smith, Director of Research Parks at the MSU Research Foundation. “The opportunity now is to build the infrastructure and environments founders need to grow while creating stronger alignment across the organizations supporting that work. The Innovation Alliance helps strengthen those connections and creates a more coordinated system for founders and companies to start, grow, and stay in Michigan.”

The Alliance brings together several efforts that have gained momentum across Michigan, including the coalition of more than 60 organizations that helped advance the bipartisan Michigan Innovation Fund, ongoing collaboration among business leaders and research universities, Michigan’s participation in MIT’s Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program and several regional efforts. Together, those efforts made clear that Michigan does not lack innovation assets. It needs a more coordinated system to connect them.

The Alliance will initially focus on strategy, amplification and advocacy so Michigan can operate as a coordinated statewide system, competing as a state, not as a collection of regions. The effort is designed to work alongside state government and other partners, providing consistent, long-term coordination that supports policy and economic development priorities.

In its first year, the Alliance will focus on several foundational initiatives, including developing a statewide innovation economic development strategy, developing a bold, impactful public policy agenda, launching a shared innovation amplification campaign and creating public-facing tools to measure and communicate Michigan’s progress over time.

The effort comes at a pivotal moment as states compete more aggressively for innovation, investment and talent. In its first year, the Alliance will focus on a small number of targeted priorities across strategy, amplification and policy to build momentum and deliver early results. The long-term goal is to position Michigan as a Top 10 U.S. innovation economy that drives rising wages, thriving companies and vibrant communities across every region of the state.

The MSU Research Foundation is among the organizations helping advance the Alliance’s efforts to strengthen connections among research, entrepreneurship, investment, and industry across Michigan.

For more information on the Innovation Alliance, visit innovationalliancemi.org.