A new partnership between the University of Michigan’s tech transfer office and the Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA) aims to increase the commercialization of university technology by granting members of the MVCA access to UM-based research and start-ups.

According to MVCA associate director Manisha Tayal, UM ranks among the top research institutions in the nation, with over 90 spinoff companies launched in the past decade. That record of success, she says, makes the notion of MVCA investors interacting with UM researchers very appealing. “Companies with strong technology are good investments,” she explains, “and the university’s tech transfer office is known for having very strong technology.”

UM and MVCA are no strangers; Tayal says many of the organization’s VCs, angel investors, economic development firms and academic institutions have previously invested in UM-based start-ups. These include two of Michigan’s biggest academic start-up exits, HandyLab and Histosonics.

The new collaboration will be centered in an office within the UM tech transfer office’s Venture Accelerator. Tayal says the office “allows [MVCA] members to engage and look at the technology more closely.”

Source: X-conomy http://www.xconomy.com/detroit/2012/07/06/u-m-tech-transfer-office-mvca-announce-partnership/