Michigan awards $2M to advance mobility and manufacturing technologies through “Make It in Michigan” grant program

Third round of funding from OFME and Centrepolis Accelerator supports 26 companies developing and commercializing advanced mobility, defense, aerospace and manufacturing technologies in Michigan

LANSING, Mich. — The State of Michigan is announcing 26 awardees in the third round of the “Make It in Michigan” Mobility Prototyping Grant Program, providing a combined $2 million in funding and services to advance innovative technologies across mobility, defense, aerospace and advanced manufacturing. The awards will help strengthen Michigan’s leadership in these critical industries, expand domestic supply chains and create high-quality jobs across the state. Led by the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) in partnership with the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University, the program supports product development, prototyping, testing and manufacturing readiness for technologies spanning air, ground and maritime mobility, autonomous systems, critical mobility components and advanced manufacturing.

“Michigan’s leadership in advanced aerial mobility is creating new opportunities for economic growth, investment and high-quality jobs across the state,” said OFME Chief Mobility Officer Justine Johnson. “As this industry continues to evolve, Michigan is doubling down on the mobility product innovators, technologies and manufacturing capabilities that will shape its future. Through programs like Make It in Michigan, we are helping companies develop and commercialize their technologies here while strengthening Michigan’s position as a national leader in advanced mobility products and critical components in the supply chain.”

Now in its third cycle, the program has received more than 400 applications and awarded more than $5 million in funding to 69 companies. The program’s three specialized tracks, Uncrewed Autonomous Systems, Critical Mobility Components and Open Innovation, target technologies with the potential to strengthen Michigan’s mobility and manufacturing ecosystem while helping address well-documented domestic supply chain gaps.

“The U.S. faces critical supply chain gaps in the components and technologies needed for autonomous systems, many with direct national security implications,” said Dan Radomski, CEO of Centrepolis Accelerator. “This program helps address those vulnerabilities by supporting companies developing domestic alternatives and connecting them with Michigan’s engineering, prototyping and manufacturing capabilities. Past awardees have gone on to commercialize products used in Michigan industry and exported globally, creating benefits not only for the companies themselves, but for the local suppliers supporting their development and production.”

The third round of grants builds on the program’s Make It in Michigan focus on translating innovative technologies into manufacturable products, strengthening Michigan’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem and supporting companies with demonstrated market demand from commercial mobility and defense customers. Projects span a range of emerging technologies, including autonomous air, ground and maritime systems for commercial and defense applications; drone materials and components; hydrogen and fuel cell systems; battery technologies; advanced electronics and innovative manufacturing processes.

2026 Awarded Companies and Michigan-Made Projects

Advanced Air Mobility 

• Altora, Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI) – Develop and test a compact, lightweight power-management system for drones and other uncrewed aircraft.
• Birdstop, Inc. (Detroit, MI) – Develop and test a stabilized camera system for small autonomous aircraft.
• Firefly Drone Shows, LLC (Auburn Hills, MI) – Develop and test a domestically controlled electronic system that manages drone motors and propulsion.
• Kinetyc, LLC (Southfield, MI) – Develop and test a flexible robotic manufacturing system to help scale production of drones and other complex products.
• Mettle Ops (Sterling Heights, MI) – Test and validate U.S.-designed flight controls, motor controls and electric motors for scalable drone production.
• Munro Defense, Inc. (Auburn Hills, MI) – Study foreign drone systems and develop realistic drone simulators to support U.S. Army counter-drone testing and training.
• SMT Automation LLC (Bruce Township, MI) – Develop an automated drone manufacturing system to help companies move from prototypes to larger-scale production.
• Velo X Aerospace (Hastings, MI) – Advance an electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft toward certification and future production in Michigan.
• Vertical Autonomy (Hillsdale, MI) – Develop a Michigan-made electronic motor-control system for medium-sized uncrewed aircraft that meets federal sourcing requirements.
• Xiomas Technologies (Ann Arbor, MI) – Adapt NASA-developed heat-sensing technology into a compact aerial imaging system for wildfire detection, mapping and other uses.

Battery Innovation

• Celadyne Technologies (Chicago, IL) – Design, build and demonstrate a Michigan-assembled hydrogen-production system for mobile and distributed-energy applications.
• Great Lakes Crystal Technologies Inc. (East Lansing, MI) – Advance diamond-based electronics to improve high-voltage power management in advanced-mobility applications.
• Great Lakes Sound & Vibration (GLSV) Incorporated (Houghton, MI) – Develop a smaller, lighter mobile power generator for military and field applications.
• Nascent Materials (Newark, NJ) – Scale U.S. production of a key lithium-ion battery material and validate it in a domestically sourced battery cell with a Michigan partner.
• Sesame Solar (Jackson, MI) – Establish an in-house hydrogen testing and development lab at its Michigan manufacturing facility to support mobile power systems.
• SBR Tech (Reed City, MI) – Develop and test a vehicle-mounted system that generates reliable electrical power without requiring a separate generator.
• Marel Power Systems (Plymouth, MI) – Develop a compact power system designed to support small, mobile data centers.

Ground Vehicles

• Ares Technology (Troy, MI) – Advance a digital viewing system for armored vehicles into a durable prototype ready for vehicle testing and integration.
• Bedestrian LLC (Ann Arbor, MI) – Advance an autonomous mobile robot toward production for cargo handling, delivery and logistics applications.
• Dataspeed, Inc. (Rochester Hills, MI) – Adapt an autonomous ground vehicle into a precision-spraying system for Michigan orchards and specialty crops.
• MagWerks Vision Inc. (Oxford, MI) – Develop an advanced headlamp prototype combining visible and infrared lighting for military vehicles.
• Mutually Assured Development (Southfield, MI) – Develop a modular, autonomous electric ground vehicle capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds.
• PLOP (Southfield, MI) – Develop a camera-guided precision-spraying system that identifies and treats only the areas where spraying is needed.

Marine & Water Transport

• Benthic Spectral Inc. (Plainwell, MI) – Advance a deep-water sensing system for autonomous underwater mapping and monitoring.
• Ghostworks Marine, Inc. (Holland, MI) – Build and test a full-scale electric version of an uncrewed surface vessel.
• Hawk Technologies, LLC (Hancock, MI) – Develop and test a hybrid-electric propulsion and power system for crewed and uncrewed watercraft.

Learn more about OFME’s work to enhance Michigan’s Mobility Ecosystem.