News

The Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University has been named a winner in this year’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, conducted by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Innovation and Technology.

The award carries a $50,000 prize. Dan Radomski, the accelerator’s executive director, said much of the funding will be used to expand industry-directed research at Lawrence Tech, with a focus on small business and underrepresented communities.

SBA officials say the purpose of the competition is to increase support of entrepreneurs and startups in businesses in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

LTU was one of 84 national winners of the accelerator competition, and one of two winners in Michigan. A total of $5.4 million in prize money is being distributed to winners by the SBA.

“The award serves as recognition for LTU’s Centrepolis Accelerator as one of the best incubators in the country,” said Dan Radomski, the accelerator’s executive director. “It demonstrates further evidence that our work to help develop new physical products and technologies and manufacture them domestically is important an providing tangible economic development impact.”

“This year’s cohort of winners emphasizes our commitment to equity,” SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said in announcing the awards. “Our awardees have innovative plans to support underserved entrepreneurs, including women, people of color, and individuals from underrepresented geographic areas. The Growth Accelerator prize funds will ensure a wide range of startups and innovators working on cutting edge STEM/R&D ideas have access to technical support and capital.”

Casillas Guzman said winners were chosen based on their proposals for innovative ideas that support entrepreneurs researching and developing STEM-related innovations, with particular emphasis on underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, rural, and veteran entrepreneurs. The prize winners support a broad range of industries including clean energy, supply chain resilience, and infrastructure.

Competitors were required to submit a presentation deck and a 90-second video to describe their overall plan for an award, including their work with targeted entrepreneur groups, experience with STEM research and development, and implementation plans for the prize funds. Applications were judged by panels of experts from the private and public sector with experience in early-stage investment, entrepreneurship, academic, startups, and economic development.

The Centrepolis Accelerator application for the prize focused on underserved entrepreneurs and small business in manufacturing, advanced materials, Industry 4.0 technologies, and cleantech, climatech, and circular economy technologies.

The Centrepolis Accelerator video for the competition can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/389531199/b1ea75e62b.

The Centrepolis Accelerator fuels the growth of Michigan small manufacturers and hardware entrepreneurs by providing access to key resources such as product development and manufacturing experts, Industry 4.0 technologies, local suppliers, customer and strategic go-to-market partner connections, and funding. It provides focused support and funding to historically underrepresented populations and offers access t more than 30 Experts-in-Residence with an average of 25 years’ experience in product development and manufacturing. It also offers a fully equipped prototyping laboratory with eight 3D printers,  scanner, and a machine shop. It also offers services to established small businesses exploring new technologies, not just startups.

The Accelerator has received funding from the New Economy Initiative and Wells Fargo Foundation Innovation Incubator (IN2) specifically to work with underserved and underrepresented businesses led by women, people of color, veterans, people with disabilities, and entrepreneurs located in distressed communities. It is also supported by Advancing Women in Energy, Clean Energy Trust, the Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes & Energy, the Michigan Economic Development Corp., the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, Michigan Women Forward, Veteran Bunker Labs, and Women in Cleantech and Sustainability.

The accelerator also provides LTU faculty and students the opportunity to work on research, proof of concept, prototyping, testing, and validation projects for its clients. Projects have included battery cell fabrication and testing, efficacy testing of ultraviolet light devices to kill bacteria and viruses, water desalinization proof of concept, and 5G wireless controller design.

Also, in partnership with Automation Alley, the Troy-based manufacturing technology organization, and Lean Rocket Lab, a Jackson-based manufacturing business incubator, Centrepolis has launched the nation’s first Industry 4.0 Accelerator that globally crowdsources the best Industry 4.0 tech companies in the world and matches them with Michigan manufacturing firms. The Accelerator has attracted 400 applications from 34 different countries and has deployed 16 Industry 4.0 tech demonstrations to date. The program has a $1.3 million seed fund from Automation Alley and $200,000 support from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. to help demonstrate and test Industry 4.0 technologies with small to medium sized manufacturers.

More about Centrepolis Accelerator at www.centrepolisaccelerator.com.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 100 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

Lawrence Technological University has been named to the 2021 America’s Top Colleges list from Forbes magazine.

Only 600 of the nation’s 3,982 four-year colleges and universities made the list.

Lawrence Tech’s top rating was in the median salaries of its alumni 10 years after graduation. That salary, according to the Forbes list, was $111,100, placing LTU No. 4 among the 15 Michigan colleges and universities in the Forbes ranking.

Forbes took a year off of ranking the nation’s colleges and universities during the pandemic. Officials at the business magazine said they used the time to re-evaluate their ranking criteria. The rankings were based on federal databases that track student outcomes and institutional characteristics, along with other academic and business sources. Criteria used were alumni salary, alumni debt, return on investment, graduation rate, retention rate, academic awards won, and alumni placement on lists of business leaders maintained by Forbes magazine. The rankings also considered how well universities help low- and moderate-income students pay for college.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 100 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

Lawrence Technological University is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduates, according to “The Best 387 Colleges 2022 Edition,” the annual profile of America’s top colleges and universities published by the educational services company Princeton Review.

Only about 14 percent of America’s 2,700 four-year colleges and universities earn a spot on the list.

LTU also again appears on Princeton Review’s list of “Best Midwestern” colleges and universities. Only 158 of the more than 600 colleges and universities in 12 Midwestern states made the list for 2022.

“We salute Lawrence Technological University for its outstanding academics and we are genuinely pleased to recommend it to prospective applicants searching for their personal ‘best-fit’ college,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief and lead author of “The Best 387 Colleges.”

“This recognition as one of the nation’s best universities is a tribute to the hard work of our students, faculty, and staff,” LTU President Virinder Moudgil said. “It continues to demonstrate that Lawrence Tech’s ‘Theory and Practice’ approach to education molds well-rounded graduates that not only succeed in their careers, but who contribute to building a better society.”

The company chooses the colleges based on data it annually collects from administrators at hundreds of colleges about their institutions’ academic offerings. Princeton Review also considers data it gathers from its surveys of college students at the colleges who rate and report on various aspects of their campus and community experiences. Criteria include academics (including students’ assessment of professors, class size, laboratory resources, and the quality of students admitted); admissions selectivity; availability of financial aid; campus safety; quality of life; and sustainability.

In the Students Say section of the LTU ranking, students said they appreciate “small class sizes with one-on-one opportunities,” and that the “potential for high quality jobs after college is very helpful and exciting.” Professors at LTU “are extremely flexible and truly do want to help you succeed,” which can be seen in their willingness “to accommodate special situations.” They are also “clearly knowledgeable in their fields and do their best to share that experience with students,” running application-based courses with the most “up-to-date labs and tools” that are centered around “creating problems and processes to outline the ever-changing industry standards and practices.” Students feel they leave with a lot of experience, thanks to instructors frequently bringing in “guests from popular companies to explain how our work is tied to real life work scenarios” and working to show “the application of the theory you learned in class.”

As for campus life, students described “a close-knit student body” with “a strong sense of community” where “everyone really looks out for each other.” As one student says: “If you ask for help from any of your peers, you’ll receive it, or you’ll solve the problem together.” Despite its small size, this is a “group of diverse students who come from different backgrounds, races, and countries.” Most out-of-classroom socializing comes by way of clubs, intramural sports, and “a great array of organizations which allow for anyone to find their interest.”

“The Best 387 Colleges,” published by Penguin Random House, is available online and from booksellers for $24.99.

The Princeton Review, www.PrincetonReview.com, is an education services company known for its tutoring, test preparation courses, books, and other student resources.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 100 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

SOUTHFIELD—Lawrence Technological University has been named the No. 3 automotive engineering university in the nation, according to College Gazette, a college ranking website.

LTU offers a Master of Science degree in automotive engineering, as well as a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering with a concentration in automotive engineering.

LTU students participate in international competitions, such as Formula SAE, Formula Electric, Baja SAE, and SAE Supermileage, and rank among the top performing teams. Graduates seek additional learning opportunities through applied research projects and doctoral programs. And LTU’s alumni are numerous among the Detroit Three, Michigan auto suppliers, and automakers and suppliers around the globe. Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis employ more LTU graduates than any other employers.

LTU also houses a state-of-the-art Johnson Controls Inc. Vehicle System Engineering Lab which supports applied research focused on creating new knowledge in the field of automotive engineering with a four-wheel independent chassis dynamometer, robot driver, and data acquisition system. Research capabilities include vehicle dynamics, fuel economy, driveline technology, safety, advanced materials, fasteners, emerging energy technologies, controls, and more.

PayScale sets the median salary for an automotive engineer at $79,126. The Bureau of Labor Statistics sets the median salary for all mechanical engineers at $90,160, and says job growth is expected at about 4 percent over the next 10 years.

Michigan had three universities on the top ten list. In addition to LTU, Kettering University and Ferris State University were also acknowledged.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers nearly 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 100 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

SOUTHFIELD—The Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University is one of four organizations selected to receive more than $900,000 from the Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions.

The other institutions in what’s being called the Midwest Regional Innovation Partnership are mHUB, a manufacturing business accelerator in Chicago, the Chicago-based green energy investors Clean Energy Trust, and Spark Innovation Center in Knoxville, Tenn., an initiative of the University of Tennessee Research Park.

The partnership will support new and existing programs for venture acceleration of energy hardware startups in the Midwest. The partners plan to support more than 360 startups and small businesses via the tailored programs, which include both virtual and in-person events, sector-specific curricula, mentorship, prototyping resources, and connections with industry. Beneficiaries of the program will be a diverse array of founders from across the region, including those from universities, low-income communities, and urban areas.

Two of the DOE’s Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs, Chain Reaction Innovations based at Argonne National Laboratory and Innovation Crossroads based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will serve as project affiliates, along with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

EPIC is a $10 million program created by the DoE’s Office of Technology Transitions to underscore the importance of regional clusters, which increase productivity of area companies, drive the direction and pace of innovation, and stimulate the formation of new businesses. For a full list of EPIC awardees, visit the Office of Technology Transitions’ website. The intent of the program is to increase the commercialization of energy hardware technologies to reduce energy consumption and emissions while increasing domestic manufacturing, creating U.S. intellectual property, and creating well-paying jobs in the Midwest.

“The Midwest Regional Innovation Partnership program enables a unique and more direct collaboration between accelerators, national labs, investors and other key stakeholders to advance cleantech hardware technology,” said Dan Radomski, executive director of the Southfield-based Centrepolis Accelerator. “This program allows Centrepolis to offer our services more broadly throughout the Midwest including utilizing our unique product development, prototyping and manufacturing readiness capabilities. This includes making our annual C3 Accelerator and its $1.65 million seed fund available to support cleantech, climatech and circular economy technology companies throughout the Midwest to drive the launch of more domestically manufactured cleantech hardware products and at the same time deploying these innovations to support our nation’s decarbonization goals.”

“At Clean Energy Trust, we see firsthand how hardware-based energy startups face unique challenges in scaling and attracting capital,” said Erik Birkerts, CEO at Clean Energy Trust. “This partnership will build upon the Midwest region’s long standing legacy of manufacturing and innovation to support climate technologies as they prepare to bring their innovations to market.”

“Energy Tech is a critical technology investment area for our country: one that can support advanced manufacturing domestically while addressing climate challenges globally,” said Haven Allen, co-founder and CEO of mHUB. “There is extraordinary demand from early-stage startups for hardtech specific investment and resources here in the United States. mHUB connects entrepreneurs to these tools, both locally and nationally, and helps them build paths to successful commercialization. Thank you to the DOE for the opportunity to bolster our regional connectedness for innovation in energy.”

“The Spark Innovation Center will work closely with TVA and the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council to develop and deliver a new Cleantech Accelerator in Tennessee in close collaboration with our MRIP partners,” said Tom Rogers, President and CEO of the UT Research Park.

About the Centrepolis Accelerator

The Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University is accelerating the growth of Michigan’s cleantech, advanced manufacturing, innovative hardware entrepreneurs and small manufacturers by providing access to funding, experts and key business and product development resources. Visit centrepolisaccelerator.com.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers nearly 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

About Clean Energy Trust

Clean Energy Trust provides catalytic capital and support to early-stage startups in the Mid-Continent region of the United States working on solutions for clean energy, decarbonization and environmental sustainability. Based in Chicago, Clean Energy Trust invests in and provides hands-on support to help entrepreneurs scale and succeed. To date, Clean Energy Trust has helped its 36 portfolio companies raise $31 of additional investment for every $1 Clean Energy Trust has invested. Clean Energy Trust is proud that 60% of its portfolio companies have female or minority founders. Learn more at www.CleanEnergyTrust.org.

About mHUB

mHUB is a leading independent hardtech and manufacturing innovation center that exists to convene the entrepreneurial ecosystem around physical product innovation to ensure that the manufacturing industry continues to accelerate, grow and thrive. The mHUB community includes over 428 active and alumni startups and small businesses supported by a deep talent pool of product designers and developers, entrepreneurs, engineers and manufacturers, corporate leaders, industry experts, mentors and investors. mHUB provides a hyper-resourced environment to entrepreneurs with the goal of commercializing new hardtech innovation that will lead to new businesses, intellectual property, investment, revenue and job creation. Since launching in 2017, the mHUB community has generated more than $430M in revenue, launched more than 1,256 products, hired more than 2,153 employees, and raised nearly $702M in capital. For more information visit mhubchicago.com.

About Spark Innovation Center

The Spark Innovation Center is an initiative of the University of Tennessee Research Park, and builds on the facilities and expertise at the University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Spark focuses on helping promising energy technology companies grow, offering access to top quality lab space, expert mentoring, and coordinating support services from nine partner organizations in the region.

SOUTHFIELD—Lawrence Technological University celebrated the gift of a second Gem e2 electric vehicle in an outdoor ceremony Tuesday at the university’s Southfield campus.

The university’s computer science program has turned the two-seat car into a second autonomous vehicle research platform for students to learn to develop software for the self-driving cars of the future.

Sponsors recognized included the United States Army’s DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center in Warren, the National Defense Industrial Association Michigan Chapter, the military business consultant Great Lakes Systems and Technology, the auto supplier DENSO, the Ann Arbor artificial intelligence technology developer SoarTech, the Ann Arbor simulation software developer Realtime Technologies, and the Rochester Hills drive-by-wire systems developer Dataspeed Inc.

LTU Provost Tarek Sobh, a robotics engineer by background, noted that Lawrence Tech is one of only 13 comprehensive, doctoral, private technological universities out of more than 6,000 institutions of higher learning in the country, “and that there is no project that embodies that unique nature like these vehicles.” LTU also offers one of the nation’s few fully accredited undergraduate robotics engineering programs, he added.

Lawrence Tech is also adding a new graduate program, a Master of Science in artificial intelligence, that has a concentration related to autonomous vehicle development. 

C.J. Chung, professor of computer science at LTU, has long spearheaded the university’s push into developing autonomous vehicles. He said the next step for the program is to develop high school summer camps where talented younger students can learn to program autonomous vehicles using the computer language Python with ROS (Robot Operating System). 

Lawrence Tech will be competing June 4-7 in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition, where it is three-time defending champion in developing autonomous driving capabilities. The competition is held at Oakland University in Rochester. It was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, but is being held this year with protective protocols in place.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers nearly 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.