The state of Michigan’s University Research Corridor (URC) is underperforming in terms of spin-out generation, despite showing strong overall innovation scores.
The URC – comprised of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University – ranks highly overall compared to seven other research-intensive hubs in the US, including North and South California.
An annual economic report on the URC prepared by the Michigan-based research firm Anderson Economic Group ranked the corridor second in the country overall in its Innovation Power Rankings, citing a strong showing in terms of talent attracted and research and development spending.
However, the report noted that URC’s spin-out generation over the period of 2008-2012 lacked in comparison in its peers, finishing dead last with an average 14 new companies per year. Overall, URC finished 7th out of 8 for its tech transfer efforts.
| Tech Cluster | Tech Transfer | Spin out annual average (2008-2012) |
Talent | R&D Spending | Innovation Power Rank |
| Southern California | 3 | 35 (1st) | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| URC | 7 | 14 (8th) | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Northern California | 2 | 24 (3rd) | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 19 (4th) | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 15 (7th) | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 30 (2nd) | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| Illinois | 7 | 17 (5th) | 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Texas | 8 |
17 (5th) |
4 | 8 | 8 |
Source: Anderson Economic Group
