This week, I was happy to visit with some of the 21st Century Jobs Fund award recipients across Michigan.  The fund is a $2 billion, 10-year initiative that will accelerate the diversification of Michigan’s economy and create jobs. The initiative focuses on growing and attracting jobs in the high-growth sectors of life sciences, alternative energy, advanced automotive materials and manufacturing, and homeland security.

It was nice to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the projects that are brewing thanks to this critical investment.  Yesterday, I visited two of Michigan’s great universities – Wayne State University (WSU) and Michigan State University (MSU) – who have both received multiple awards.  MSU’s College of Engineering is home to eleven of the 61 awardees selected last week by the Michigan Strategic Economic Investment and Commercialization (SEIC) Board to share more than $100 million from the first round of the 21st Century Jobs Fund.  WSU is a part of five jobs fund grants totaling $7.2 million in investment. 

At WSU, I met with some of the researchers who are developing fuels for the future. With all of the great universities Michigan is home to, and our rich heritage in automotive manufacturing, I believe that we can – and must – be a leader in the alternative fuel industry.  I travel in an E-85 vehicle myself and believe this industry is an important part of Michigan’s economic future.  In the WSU labs, they are working to develop an alternative fuel-powered generator, useful in times of national crisis when the fuel supply is interrupted (as it was in the days after Hurricane Katrina), and useful by our military.  Alternative fuel development is certainly critical to our auto sector, but its applications are endless.
 
In the afternoon, it was off to MSU to talk with some of the award recipients about the projects they are working on.  One of the highlights was research that is being done to create sensor applications that can detect bio chemicals in air, water and food, a great homeland security and defense project.  One of the most interesting advanced automotive manufacturing projects was the work they are doing to create a hybrid drive train for heavy duty vehicles such as buses.  I was very impressed with all of the projects and so glad to get a first hand look at the 21st Century Jobs Fund in action.
 
The work being done at MSU and WSU is what the 21st Century Jobs Fund is all about. With world-class research and creative collaborations with area businesses, Michigan State and Wayne State are helping build tomorrow’s automobiles, develop tomorrow’s energy sources, discover tomorrow’s life-saving medicines, and create jobs that will help keep new grads here in the Great Lakes State.  Students are also getting hands-on research experience, we are getting enhanced cars and better medicine, and the jobs that come with it help all Michigan communities.  I believe it is a win-win situation for all Michiganians!