Detroit Mercy College of Engineering & Science part of consortium awarded $2 million

In an effort to support industry-sponsored partnerships, University of Detroit Mercy's College of Engineering & Science was recently one of five institutions in a consortium awarded $2 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The consortium includes UDM, Andrews University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, University of St. Thomas Engineering and Western New England University. Each school will receive $400,000 over three years as part of the grant from NSF's Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program.

"This grant will better enable Detroit Mercy faculty and students to engage with industry-sponsored projects," said Rick Hill, associate dean for research and external initiatives for UDM's College of Engineering & Science. "Working on such projects provides our students the kind of experiential learning that is core to a Detroit Mercy engineering education, while also benefiting our faculty by keeping their skills current and helping them gain a better understanding of the needs of our industrial partners which they can then bring back to the classroom."

The focus of the grant is on emerging technologies prevalent in engineering and computer science programs at UDM, they include artificial intelligence, physical cybersecurity, product innovation, and robotics and autonomy. Potential opportunities for other disciplines include pure sciences, health professions, business and computer information systems.

Hill said UDM will benefit from working with the other consortium members during the tenure of the grant, using each other's strengths and experiences to support one another.

The grant also serves as an opportunity to build new partnerships with those in the industry.

"Engineering at Detroit Mercy has a long history of industry engagement, an example of this is the cooperative internships required of our students," Hill said. "We plan to use this award to build on those relationships to expand the amount of industry-sponsored research conducted at the University."

Alumni, friends of the University and any potential industry partners interested in working with the College of Engineering & Science can contact Hill at [email protected].