DETROIT—Michigan’s three major research universities have come together to host an inaugural summit that brings together scholars, industry innovators, government officials and NGO’s from Michigan and around the world.

They will meet at Detroit’s historic Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit on April 7-9 to address critical issues within the transportation sector that impact economies and communities, and that catalyze new transportation-related business and job creation opportunities for Michigan.”

There is new opportunity on the horizon to grow an industry and an economy that will supply the next generation of connected and sustainable transportation systems for an urbanizing and increasingly complex world. Michigan should have a pivotal role in that transformation,” said Susan Zielinski, managing director of SMART at the University of Michigan.

The University Research Corridor’s partner institutions, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, established the Transforming Transportation Research Corridor Consortium to provide research-based insights into transportation’s key role in recent?and future?profound economic and social shifts. The summit is organized and hosted by representatives from each university.”

The goal is to tie research capabilities and transportation topics into an action agenda,” said Hiram E. Fitzgerald, associate provost for University Outreach and Engagement at Michigan State University. “We are a catalyst for collaborative partnerships, anchored in scholarship, that include researchers and practitioners. The diverse group of participants all contributing together to shape a concrete plan makes this a unique event. We come to this summit ready to roll up our sleeves and work.”

The summit agenda combines visionary plenary presentations about the future of transportation with focused working sessions that tackle specific topics such as supply chain management and logistics; alternative transportation strategies for southeast Michigan; integrated approaches to sustainable transportation policy; implementing New Mobility worldwide; new business models, entrepreneurship, and employment; and transforming transportation through design.

“As residents and workers in the city of Detroit, our faculty and students have been on the front lines of the contemporary issues facing the transportation industry and facing our communities. The impacts are evident on a daily basis, and we have a shared interest in working together with the state’s other research universities,” said Allen Batteau, Wayne State University professor.

U-M Sustainability fosters a more sustainable world through collaborations across campus and beyond aimed at educating students, generating new knowledge, and minimizing our environmental footprint. Learn more at sustainability.umich.edu.

Related Links:

• Transforming Transportation Research Corridor Consortium