University of Michigan researchers and faculty reported more new inventions and executed more commercialization agreements with companies than ever before during the past fiscal year.
U-M researchers and faculty generated 673 invention reports in fiscal year 2025, topping the previous record of 615. They also signed 326 license and option agreements, a jump of more than 50 new agreements from the previous year.
In addition to the increase of new inventions, 31 startup companies were launched to support the commercialization of U-M research discoveries. This is the second time in U-M's history that more than 30 startup companies were launched in a year. Spanning diverse sectors, these new companies are developing cutting-edge solutions in areas such as diabetes management, digital security, athletic performance and early childhood education.
Innovation Partnerships, the university's nexus of research commercialization activity, recently announced its numbers for the fiscal year that ended June 30. The numbers provide key insights into the breadth and depth of U-M's innovation ecosystem and will be highlighted at this year's Celebrate Invention event Sept. 24.
"University of Michigan researchers and faculty are some of the best in the country and are continually developing innovative ways to solve some of today's greatest problems," said Arthur Lupia, U-M vice president for research and innovation.
"The team at Innovation Partnerships is dedicated to helping our researchers leverage their discoveries into products and services that help people outside our campus walls. I've seen how the team operates firsthand, constantly evolving to meet the needs of university researchers and working to make a positive difference in people's lives."
U-M faculty also had a strong year of industry collaboration. The newly expanded Corporate and Foundation Research Alliances team within Innovation Partnerships provided direct relationship and negotiation support for 135 new on-campus corporate sponsored research agreements totaling $32.9 million, a significant contribution to the $170.6 million in new corporate research awards reported across the university's research enterprise.
In May, Innovation Partnerships announced an expansion of the Corporate Research Alliances team to the Corporate and Foundation Research Alliances team. This was done as part of a commitment to enhancing U-M's competitiveness in securing external research funding.
U-M startups raised more than $663 million in capital fundraising and liquidity events in fiscal 2025 as they continued to advance their technologies for broad societal use. This includes three IPOs or public offerings, the largest being the IPO of Ascentage Biopharma on the NASDAQ in January, raising more than $126 million.
Innovation Partnerships also provided venture support to U-M innovators through the Accelerate Blue Fund, the evergreen venture fund managed by the team. The AB Fund's reach expanded during the last fiscal year, with investments in nine new companies, bringing the portfolio up to 30 U-M startups. Thanks to donor and U-M support, the Accelerate Blue Fund now oversees $16.1 million in assets.
"Each invention report we receive and every startup we launch represents a critical step in transforming publicly funded research into real-world impact that improves and even saves lives," said Kelly Sexton, associate vice president for research-innovation partnerships and economic impact.
"The record-breaking results from FY 2025 are a testament to the exceptional talent of our U-M research community and to the industry partners, investors and entrepreneurs who collaborate with us to turn these innovations into products, services and companies that are shaping a better future for Michigan and beyond."
