Inno-TechLab

The Strategic Innovation Technology Laboratory (Inno-TechLab for short) is the MI Innovation Alliance’s most ambitious project yet.  More than an incubator, more than a prototype lab, more than an off-site skunkworks development site for the select few OEMs / corporations / major suppliers, it is a different aspect of and enhancement of the GAMIC innovation process.  Located at the entrepreneurship and research nexus of NextEnergy – Techtown – Wayne State University, Inno-TechLab is an experimental construct in dedicated collaboration and advanced development.

 

Goal:   Provide annual innovation crowdsourcing and commercial acceleration specialized team for select automotive OEM and major suppliers to increase speed of strategic differentiation and consumer/shareholder value.

While still under development, key attributes of the program for select entrepreneurs and corporate partners would include:

 

Exclusivity Program tailored around the needs of the select few major industry partners, with exclusive segment rights to participate
Lab Test Space Secure-access space at dedicated labs in the Metro Detroit nexus, with availability of other partner facilities in the metro area; special connectivity and measurement systems
Flexible Access Availability of market-paced (vs. corporate-paced) resources in the Michigan entrepreneurship eco-system (from local accelerators, relocates to Downtown Detroit eco-system, etc.)
Technical Support Entrepreneur access to SAE Standards committees, small- and mid-size manufacturers, business acceleration and program management experts for enhanced production readiness and acceleration
Market Support Broad array of market research services, and strategic partner match-making and introduction support
Standardized Start-up Support Entrepreneur access to dedicated development programs at the member accelerators and options for early stage investor access
Business Advisory Experienced mentors to provide directional guidance and help bridge the gap between ”required corporate processes” which can stifle innovation, and out-of-the-box start-ups which lack inside-industry knowledge of required conventions for effective system integration
Facilitated Collaboration Extended-duration participation and involvement of select mentor / collaborator team personnel, to enhance and accelerate progress in addition to normal bi-lateral development agreement between OEM/Tier partner and start-up partner.  Risk and knowledge-gap mitigation to accelerate key milestone attainment.

 

Corporate participation in Inno-TechLab will be limited to a small number of non-competing corporations.  Participating innovators will be selected by the corporate participants, and subject to written agreements negotiated between the parties.

 

If you’d like to learn more about the Inno-TechLab concept and/or help us in defining it further, contact us at … info@MIinnovationAlliance.org.