Five organizations in northern Michigan, including Northwestern Michigan College, have teamed up to create the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center, which will study Lake Michigan.
The Freshwater Research and Innovation Center is a new organization launched on the west end of the Grand Traverse Bay on Discovery Pier in Traverse City, Michigan. Five different groups are part of the center: Discovery Center and Pier, 20Fathoms, Traverse Connect, Michigan Technological University, and Northwestern Michigan College.
A large portion of northern Michigan is bordered by Lake Michigan, yet there is so much more to learn about it. That's where the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center comes in.
Eric Roberts, Executive Director of 20Fathoms, a tech startup in northern Michigan, spoke with UpNorthLive about the new project, saying, "[It] really is this team, seeing that come together someday. It's going to be amazing when that research is here, and we're tied into the community through the Discovery Center pier. When we've got all that in place, we will generate small businesses, the jobs will come out of that the economic development that we want, all of that's very exciting."
UpNorthLive also spoke to Jay Meldrum of Michigan Tech, Grand Traverse Area, who said, "We're going to work together. We are working together. So our plan is that we're a research university and we can help Northwestern Michigan College, with their research, things could turn into research, and 20Fathoms can take the intellectual property and turn it into a business and revenue stream and monetize it. We have to protect this natural resource. It's a charge for the state to make sure that we do research and we have jobs in Michigan. And I don't think anybody would say it's a bad idea to do freshwater research.”
Traverse Connect, an economic development organization in the Grand Traverse Bay Area, will help the innovation center from an economic angle.
Eric Roberts spoke further on the collaboration between the organizations: "You're gonna have research together with a workforce development and technical education program from Northwestern Michigan College together in this building and then 20Fathoms in the same building, picking up that research and innovation and turning it into small businesses. We think that Northern Michigan can be the center of the world for freshwater. That's the thing we want to go build."
The Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Northern Michigan College was quoted on the school’s website, saying, “NMC views the Freshwater Research & Innovation Center as an accelerator for our strategic plan goals related to the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute.”
The partnership is early in the organizational stage, but those involved have confidence that more businesses and research will form around the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center in the future.
Northwestern Michigan College offers professional accreditations, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees in a variety of fields such as applied science, nursing, engineering, and more. More information about the school can be found on its website.