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Research funds aimed at Michigan's economy

By Sue Nichols

Eleven MSU research projects – from basic research to applied research already spinning off Michigan companies – were among the winners of the state’s 21st Century Jobs Fund Awards announced on Sept. 6.

MSU projects were granted $13.1 million for research ranging from ethanol fuel engines to laser-based molecular scalpel technology to ways to increase efficiency in pharmaceutical drugs.

“These 11 projects are wonderful representations of the breadth of applicable research that is positioned to benefit Michigan’s economy,” said President Lou Anna K. Simon. “It is yet another example of how Michigan State, from the very beginning of basic research to the blossoming of new Michigan businesses, is contributing to our state’s diversification.”

The state announced that 61 awardees have been selected by the Michigan Strategic Economic Investment and Commercialization Board to share more than $100 million from the fund’s first round.

MSU submitted 22 proposals for consideration.

MSU’s projects span the fund’s scope of life sciences, alternative energy, advanced automotive materials and manufacturing, and homeland security. Some of MSU’s projects focus on bolstering the state’s bioeconomy, such as mechanical engineering professor Harold Schock’s proposal to develop ethanol fuel engines, or chemical engineering professor Dennis Miller’s research on a continuous production process for biodiesel.

Other projects include research to strengthen air and water safety, by Syed Hashsham in civil and environmental engineering and the Center for Microbial Ecology, or Mitch Smith and Robert Maleczka in chemistry, who have developed a breakthrough with a patented chemical compound that makes drug synthesis more efficient and less costly.

MSU’s engagement in the awards underscores the collaborative nature of the 21st Century Jobs Fund Awards. MSU researchers and groups also are collaborators in nine other awards.

Moreover, several awardees are start-up companies that use MSU technology. For example, Diversified Natural Products, a company in Scottville, has 15 patents that have sprung from MSU research. AFID Therapeutics is the company of Rawle Hollingsworth in biochemistry and molecular biology.

“How gratifying it is to see the strong correlation between the awards received and companies that MSU has spun off in research areas,” said Paul Hunt, associate vice president for research and graduate studies.