Michigan State University Foundation adds the word research to its name
The Michigan State University (MSU) Foundation, led by former University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) President David Washburn, has added the word research to its official name.
In this news release announcing the change, he said that “adding the term ‘Research’ to our name is a better reflection of what we do and aligns us closer to many of our peer Research Foundations across the country. We can finally eliminate the misconception that we are the advancement and endowment management arms of the University.”
Since 2014 when Washburn left UTRF for East Lansing, the now named MSU Research Foundation has built up a system of resources and subsidiary organizations that help move cutting edge technologies out of the University through the basis of a startup company. The organizations within the MSU Research Foundation family include:
- Spartan Innovations, L3C is a venture creation organization that runs a variety of programs such as Entrepreneurs-In-Residence, an extensive mentor network, the Conquer Accelerator program, and has entrepreneurship programs that are run in close collaboration with MSU in East Lansing and Grand Rapids.
- Red Cedar Ventures is a pre-seed venture fund that provides early and follow-on capital for start-up companies affiliated with MSU.
- Michigan Rise Pre-Seed III Fund, an early stage pre-seed venture fund that was established in August 2020 with funds from the MSU Research Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation that invests in early-stage technology ventures from across the State of Michigan.
The MSU Research Foundation also has several strategic real estate investments that include the University Health Park, two incubator facilities, and more than 190,000 square feet of office space populated by new start-up companies and existing corporate partners via MSU.
