The city of Lansing is poised to lead the state in high-technology development after Michigan received a $400,000 federal grant from the Economic Development Administration, or EDA, Tech Hub program on Oct. 23.

The program seeks to designate cities across the country as national sources for advanced technologies. While Michigan did not receive Tech Hub designation funding, the $400,000 the state did receive will be used for strategic development. 

The advanced technologies that the city of Lansing will be collaborating on includes materials that hope to make a switch to electric vehicles more efficient in Michigan. 

The grant will allow for the establishment of the Materials Advancement and Research Solutions, or MARS, consortium as a collaboration between the MSU Research Foundation and its partners around the region. MSU materials research will spearhead the collaboration.

“MSU happens to be really, really good at synthetic diamonds, particle accelerators and rare isotopes,” MSU Research Foundation director of research parks Jeffrey Smith said. “It’s the number-one nuclear research school in the nation. Our packaging engineers are developing state-of-the-art sustainable packaging that’s used all over the world.”

In addition to radiation effect testing, research on materials like synthetic diamond and rare isotopes could help develop more efficient electric vehicle chargers and space electronics for national security purposes. 

The mid-Michigan workforce will work alongside MSU’s research efforts through partnerships with private entities, government agencies and nonprofit organizations like Great Lakes Crystal Technologies and Fraunhofer USA. 

Fraunhofer began its partnership with MSU in 2003 when its base was established in the Engineering Research Complex on campus. The global nonprofit organization specializes in advanced materials research alongside MSU faculty and students and partners with large Michigan-based manufacturing and automotive companies like General Motors for technology commercialization.

“It’s great to see the partnership that we built with MSU and the Foundation really start to bear the fruit that we always thought it would,” ​​Fraunhofer USA Midwest lead business developer Russell Zarras said. “MSU’s willingness to work with us on growing and developing these technologies has been somewhat unrivaled.”

The region has a highly skilled manufacturing labor market and a reasonable cost of living that could allow for abundant commercialization of developing technology, Smith said.

“Layer all of those things together and we really are primed to make a transformational change in mid-Michigan,” Smith said. “The goal is to go beyond the university boundaries and start really accelerating innovation in the Lansing region.”

Research funding would come in multiple stages, Smith said.

The $400,000 grant, part of the first phase, is largely focused on gaining community support and planning. Phase two funding would allow the foundation to build necessary infrastructure and facilities. The foundation will begin the application process for phase two EDA funding in spring 2024.

“If phase two funding is awarded, it could have a substantial impact on the region,” Smith said. “Not just the total number of jobs, but on how we diversify our economy and broaden our academic base to include these really advanced materials and advanced manufacturing operations.” 

The consortium plans to construct an Applied Research and Innovation Center near MSU’s campus to house corporations and incubate research and business start-ups, according to a statement from Great Lakes Crystal Technologies CEO Keith Evans.

“We believe the economic growth stemming from this project will prove beneficial to communities in the Lansing region, especially within historically underserved communities,” Evans wrote in the statement.

Smith said that whether the state receives the additional funding or not, the foundation’s plan will continue in the region.

“We’ll find a way one way or another to implement this,” Smith said.

The foundation is currently developing a community benefits plan through focus groups and town halls, Smith said. The plan will identify how to get mid-Michiganders involved in the process and access to new technology jobs. 

“This initial grant allows us to explore how to write a full proposal and get all the details we need to do our homework,” Zarras said. “It’s like getting paid to do your homework. We need to prepare as a region to propose to the EDA that we need that additional funding to take our vision to fruition.”