NEWS & EVENTS

Congressional and University Staffers Get a First-Hand Look at LIFT

The Michigan University Research Corridor (URC), along with more than a dozen Washington, D.C.-based Michigan Congressional delegation staff members, visited LIFT recently to learn more about the research going on into in metals, as well as at IACMI – The Composites Institute to hear more about composites research.

The URC is one of the nation’s top academic research clusters and the leading engine for innovation in Michigan and the Great Lakes region. An alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University – all LIFT members – the URC is focused on increasing economic prosperity and connecting Michigan to the world.

“The Congressional staff spent three full days at each of our universities learning about the importance of federal investments in research, including the investments made in the Manufacturing USA institutes like LIFT and IACMI,” said Kristina Ko, senior director of Federal Relations for Research​, University of Michigan Office of Research. “By visiting the LIFT facility, we were able to provide a first-hand look at how federal investments in research can spur innovation.”

The Congressional and URC staffers spent time speaking with LIFT Executive Director Larry Brown and IACMI Associate Director, Vehicles Technology Area, Ray Boeman about the institutes and the work both are engaged in. They then took a tour of the high-bay area under construction as the large-scale metals and composite manufacturing equipment is being moved in and installed.

“It was eye-opening to see the work going on at the LIFT facility and learn about some of the research underway and some of the real-world applications expected to benefit from it,” Ko said. “Between those two institutes and the three URC universities, we were able to highlight that the research going on here in southeast Michigan is second to none around the country.”

For more information on the URC, please visit: www.urcmich.org.