As a premier, research-intensive academic medical center, the University of Michigan Medical School is world renowned with more than $700 million in external research funding. The Medical School Office of Research proudly supports our internationally recognized investigators pursuing innovative science to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, the citizens of Michigan, and beyond. The Medical School Office of Research (OoR) team is constantly striving to enhance the research enterprise, including maintaining an investigator-focused infrastructure, facilitating and diversifying investigators' avenues for funding, and streamlining research processes.
Fast Forward Medical Innovation (FFMI) is a program under the OoR. FFMI is 'fast forwarding' medical innovation at the University of Michigan Health System, nurturing commercialization, entrepreneurship and industry partnerships with the ultimate goal of translating research more quickly and getting more products to market sooner where they can have a greater impact on patients. Fast Forward Medical Innovation offers a holistic approach to biomedical innovation at the University of Michigan, including:
- Accelerating innovation and commercialization of research from idea to impact for devices, diagnostics, therapeutics and health information technology.
- Collaborating with commercial partners via novel partnership models.
- Enhancing medical education by inclusion of innovation and entrepreneurship at all levels.
The Industry Alliance Manager is part of FFMI's Business Developments team who's specific mission is to foster and drive strategic partnership activities between external organizations and UM Medical School researchers, as well as UM campus. To that end, the team provides a wide variety of services including strategic partner analysis, partner targeting and engagement, faculty engagement, partner proposal development, as well as follow-up and implementation. These services provide a bridge between industry, private foundations, and governmental communities and people and resources at the Medical School.