Faculty Inventors

Coulter Translational Research Partnership Program/Faculty Inventors

Surgical Tool
“Coulter Program funding supported the development of this surgical tool held by U-M Professor of Plastic Surgery Paul Cederna, MD. He and his U-M Plastic Surgery colleagues, along with U-M Mechanical Engineering Professor Albert Shih, PhD, PhD-candidate Jeffrey Plott, and student Jordan Kreda, developed the tool to facilitate surgery for treating painful neuromas. The surgical tool was licensed to RLS Interventional in March 2016.” Photo: Chris Stranad

The UM Coulter Program funds 5 – 7 projects per year for an average of over $100,000 each. Each project must involve a collaboration between UM faculty from any college of engineering department and a practicing clinician from a clinical department. Each project aims to generate a new medical device, surgical tool, diagnostic assay or other biomedical tool and is mentored by a team of industry experts to guide projects to the point of start-up, partnering with industry, and/or follow-on funding.

Coulter funding does not require a departmental funding match or cost-sharing of salaries.

Distinctive aspects of the Coulter Program include business assessment work that dovetails with technical milestones for each project. Specific benefits to each project include:

  • New product planning support
  • Business development support
  • Market research
  • Regulatory guidance
  • Follow-on funding guidance
  • Mentorship from the Oversight Committee
  • The C3i Commercialization Planning Program