FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the University Research Corridor?
Is the University Research Corridor a new group?
Why are research universities important to Michigan’s economy?
What does “Research Corridor” mean?
What’s new about the University Research Corridor?
Why do these three schools comprise the URC?
How is the Research Corridor different from the Life Sciences Corridor?
Q: What is the University Research Corridor?
A: The University Research Corridor is an alliance between Michigan’s three major research universities to transform, strengthen and diversify the state’s economy. The partners, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, spark regional economic development via invention, innovation and technology transfer, by educating a work force prepared for the knowledge economy, and by attracting smart and talented people to our state.
Q: Is the University Research Corridor a new group?
A: No. It’s a new name that more easily explains a partnership that has existed for decades. It better captures the unique mission and contributions of Michigan’s three statewide, constitutionally autonomous research universities. They are the only universities whose boards are elected directly by the people of Michigan because they are performing a mission that literally serves the entire state and the world beyond.
Why are research universities important to Michigan’s economy?
A: R&D is the source of new products, jobs and
opportunities. As public institutions that aren’t required to
make an immediate profit, the three are free to pursue disruptive
technology that many companies don’t, tackling some of the
state’s most promising growth sectors, including alternative
energy, life sciences and homeland security. They provide the
catalyst for cooperation with the private sector, bringing the bulk
of the tech centers and intellectual power for the auto industry and
other industries.
Q: What does “Research Corridor” mean?
A: The word “research” broadly covers what the three schools do that makes them distinct from other universities: scientifically gather information that can be used to plan, create and execute ideas.
“Corridor,” according to the dictionary can mean: “a path or guided way” or a tract of land forming a passageway or a thickly populated strip of land connecting two or more urban areas. Michigan’s Research Corridor is a geographic area where public and private research is fueling new ideas and industries. But all three universities conduct work throughout Michigan and around the globe so more importantly, the Research Corridor is “a path or guided way” to the future.
Q: What’s new about the University Research Corridor?
A:In 1999, our three universities helped establish a Life Sciences Corridor to be on the ground floor of developing a new industry and the life sciences industry has added more than 120 new companies to Michigan since 2000. Now we are building on that success, taking it to a higher level with expanded collaborations in a host of disciplines to better connect our universities with the public we serve. A century ago, the three partners helped Michigan move from an agrarian to an industrial age. Now they are helping Michigan move from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy.
Why do these three schools comprise the URC?
A: We do 95 percent of the research and produce the bulk of the advanced degree graduates, including all of the physicians. Collectively, we bring more than $1.4 billion in federal dollars into the state of Michigan each year.
Q: How is the Research Corridor different from the Life Sciences Corridor?
A: The two are somewhat related, in that both encourage cooperation between Michigan’s most-respected research institutions. The Life Sciences Corridor, however, was focused only on a specific sector of the research and economic development. The URC expands upon that idea, producing workers and ideas that will drive economic development in all sectors.
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