HomeJoin Us

Join Us

The University of Michigan College of Engineering began research in MEMS and microsystems in the early 1970s. Over the years the University has shared its research and collaborated with industry through a variety of means. Early collaboration began with personal relationships among academic and corporate researchers, and later through the establishment of an industrial affiliate program. This led to a ten-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2000, which established a formal, membership-based, NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC): the Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems (WIMS). Since 2010, the Center has operated as a graduated, self-sustaining ERC (WIMS²), whose primary mission, terms of membership, and operation remain the same.

Membership Contact

Larry Tuttle, Industrial Liaison
1301 Beal Ave., Room 2214
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122
Phone: (734) 615-2325
Mobile: (734) 717-0916

The diagram below illustrates the components of the Center. The interaction of members and faculty constitutes the operation of the Center.

WIMS²Interaction Models - A list of the ways members can collaborate with faculty and students, and the means in which technology transfer is accomplished.
See Table Below

WIMS² Business Benefits - The ultimate benefits gained from membership in the Center lie in the contribution that the Center makes toward helping a company create successful strategies and achieve its business objectives.
See Table Below

There are three components: Research, Faculty and Students, and Industrial Members.

These components are integrated through the engagement models defined in the Bylaws and provide three basic services:

Relationships and Collaboration – The Center helps create personal relationships between Faculty and Students, and Industrial Members.

Technology Transfer – Neutrally-funded and faculty-designated research is openly shared with industrial member companies with the following types of interactions:

Personal Relationships with Faculty and Students
Twice-annual Formal Research Reviews
Member Sponsored Fellowships
Graduate Placement
Early Disclosure of IP
One Year Right of First Refusal
Preferential Licensing Terms

Other forms of Technology Transfer include research that is not shared with other member companies, and includes company-sponsored research, and the Resident Engineer program.

Administration and Support – The Center also supports Faculty and Students, and Member Companies through:

Meetings
Events
Invited Speakers
Conferences and Workshops
Website
Center Promotion and Marketing
Publishing Papers, Journal Articles, Patents, Books
Producing Webinars, Student Videos, and Recorded Events
Live Webcasts
Recruiting

WIMS²Engagement Models
Access and Relationships	Receive preferential and facilitated access to Center and university personnel, and facilities, across participating departments
Recruiting	Get early access to students and research results through projects and internships
Proposals and Projects	Write joint proposals and collaborate on sponsored research projects
Technology Transfer	Share ongoing results of federal and state funded research Examine discoveries, engineering innovations, and applied systems early in the lifecycle Participate in semi-annual Center research reviews
Intellectual Property and Projects	Receive timely notification of invention disclosures Acquire non-exclusive royalty-free license to Center Technology for internal use Secure the right of first refusal for commercial licenses to Center Technology; exclusive licenses are possible
Prototyping	Receive reduced fees for fabrication facilities for prototype runs conducted by Center personnel
WIMS² Fellowship	Sponsor a WIMS²student to conduct research on a specific topic
Resident Engineer	Receive office, administrative and university IT support Receive reduced fees for your use of laboratory and fabrication facilities Secure IP rights
Advisory Board	Participate through membership on the Industry Advisory Board Help set research directions and programs for the Center

WIMS²Business Benefits
Track the State of the Art	The Center faculty are leaders in their fields who conduct and publish cutting-edge research
Look Forward	Through personal relationships and formal meetings, obtain the status of ongoing research, often, pre-publication
Insights on Technology Maturity	Gain an understanding of research that does not produce successful results and is not published Knowing what does not work can help direct development more successfully
Leverage University Research	The value chain for many technology advances often begins with government-funded university research Corporate R&D budgets are shrinking
Establish/Maintain Technology Leadership	"Innovation' and "disruptive" are perhaps overused buzzwords, but the concepts are driving company strategies Technology leaders are usually very well known
Enter New Markets	First to market players often dominate their product-market space
Grow Revenue and Profit	Technology and market leaders often produce way-above-average margins