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MTRAC Innovation Hub awards $177,000 for applied materials projects

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The Story

A self-cleaning glass mixture and a transparent conductor are two of the latest projects to win financial support from the state of Michigan’s Innovation Hub program.

Four inventions from three of Michigan’s public universities will share more than $177,000 in awards bestowed by the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization’s applied advanced materials projects hub at Michigan Technological University and the Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s Entrepreneur and Innovation initiative, according to an MEDC news release.

Two of the inventions are being developed at Michigan Tech while faculty at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan are handling one apiece. The projects were chosen out of 17 proposals from six universities for their “ability to solve a real-life problem and achieve commercialization,” the release said.

The following projects received funding, as explained in the release:

  • Scalable ultra-thin metal-based transparent conductors and applications, UM, $50,000
  • Polar salt process for high surface area refined salt, $49,991, Michigan Tech
  • Recycling of lithium-ion battery, $40,000, Michigan Tech
  • Low-cost fabrication approach for self-cleaning and smudge-free resistant glass panels, $37,279, MSU

The advanced materials MTRAC program has returned $14 for every $1 spent on funds, said Jim Baker, Michigan Tech’s executive director of innovation and industry engagement.