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About life Sciences at michigan

The University of Michigan is a huge research institution, and life sciences are a major part of that. More than half of the University’s $750 million in annual research expenditures are in the life sciences.

From cell signaling to clinical medicine to ecosystems, Michigan has leading researchers in every field working together toward a richer understanding of life on earth.

Over the last five years, U-M has invested more than $900 million in the life sciences in the form of new curriculum, new faculty and new buildings.

There is a campus-wide commitment to expand on the University’s excellence in basic science, health science and health care, engineering, social science, and the humanities related to the life sciences future.

The new hub of this effort is the Life Sciences Institute, a $230 million interdisciplinary collaboration housed in state-of-the-art wet labs at the very center of the Ann Arbor campus. It stands adjacent to a new 140,000-square-foot teaching building for undergraduate science, and a 99,000-square-foot Commons building designed for meetings and small conferences. The Commons also houses the University’s Bioinformatics Program.

The Life Sciences and Society program, housed in the School of Public Health, is the focal point of a dialogue on the life sciences future which includes Michigan’s leadership in business, law, public health, and social research.

“The next stage in our vision for the life sciences must be a collective step,” President Mary Sue Coleman said in a campus-wide address on Sept. 20, 2004. “Together, we have to design the network that will better connect the science units on campus. I want us to focus tremendous effort on our outstanding research programs in areas such as nanotechnology, tissue engineering, and serious medical conditions such as diabetes and obesity. I believe we can also build on our existing strength in the neurosciences.”

The University of Michigan is dedicated to finding new ways to apply collaborative, creative energy from every corner of the campus to the most profound questions of this new age.

U-M Life Sciences Research
U-M Life Sciences Institute
U-M Life Sciences and Society
U-M Life Sciences Education
U-M Life Sciences construction on campus
U-M Research Administration Contacts
U-M Office of Technology Transfer
MichBio
Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Life Sciences Corridor

History

Launched in 1999, the Life Sciences Initiative was a campus-wide effort to unify and expand the University of Michigan’s life sciences research and teaching. Kicked off by then-President Lee C. Bollinger, the Initiative sought to bridge the Medical, Engineering and Central Campuses and create new collaborative links between them.

At the center of the Ann Arbor campus and the campus-wide Initiative, a new research unit was established, the Life Sciences Institute. Completed in September 2003, the LSI forms the cornerstone of a campus-within-a-campus to house life sciences research, teaching and collaboration.

Under President Mary Sue Coleman, the University has continued its commitment to life sciences leadership, breaking ground on several new facilities and stepping up efforts to recruit and retain the best faculty and students.

Historical Reports

Life Sciences Commission Report

The Commission Report (PDF format, 564K, requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader) outlines strategies to improve the quality of research and education in areas pertaining to the life sciences at the University of Michigan, with the goal of putting Michigan in a position of leadership commensurate with its standing in other scholarly arenas.

President’s Letter on Life Sciences

In May 2000, President Lee C. Bollinger sent an update letter to U-M faculty, staff, and students about developments related to the Life Sciences Initiative and Instititute.
>> Read the text of the letter.