As the centerpiece of a development within the heart of the city, the University of Michigan Center for Innovation will offer programs that focus on high-tech research, education, and innovation for university students and the community at large.
Sited on a four-acre lot in The District Detroit, an established mixed-use sports and entertainment hub, the campus extension for the University will provide a new space to engage with industry nonprofits and community partners in the city. The planned academic center will feature a 200,000-square-foot research and graduate education building for UM students in mobility, artificial intelligence, data science, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, financial technology, and more. The initial phase of the Center for Innovation build-out also will include incubator and start-up services for entrepreneurs, collaboration space for established companies, residential units, a hotel and conference center, and event space.
When opened, the Center for Innovation will provide Michigan businesses with a pipeline of talent and offer opportunities for current workers to further their skills in a world of fast-paced, technological change. It will also build on Detroit’s growing presence as a center for innovation, which now includes Ford’s new Corktown mobility innovation campus, Techtown, and Wayne State University.