Southfield, Mich. — Research activity at Lawrence Technological University has surged more than 540% since 2020, reflecting LTU’s growing role as an applied research and innovation partner for industry, government, entrepreneurs, and Michigan’s manufacturing economy.
LTU’s Research and Development expenditures grew from approximately $1.5 million in 2020 to nearly $9.7 million in 2025, a sharp increase for a private technological university operating in an increasingly competitive national research funding environment.
“This growth reflects where LTU is headed as a university,” LTU President Tarek Sobh, PhD, said. “We are expanding our research enterprise in ways that are closely aligned with industry, commercialization, economic development, and society’s needs. At LTU, research is not an isolated activity. It is part of a larger innovation ecosystem that educates students, serves partners, and helps move Michigan and the region forward.”
The growth reflects more than an increase in research funding. It signals LTU’s expanding role as an applied innovation partner that connects faculty research, student talent, industry collaboration, startup commercialization, and Michigan manufacturing growth.
“LTU has always been at its best when theory and practice work together,” Sobh said. “The growth we are seeing reflects the strength of our faculty, students, research centers, and industry partners working with purpose on problems that matter.”
The increase comes as Michigan companies and public agencies seek faster, more applied research partnerships in fields such as advanced manufacturing, infrastructure, mobility, electrification, defense, clean energy, and supply chain resilience. LTU has built momentum by focusing on research that can move efficiently from concept to implementation.
“This kind of acceleration happens when research is connected to real-world needs in real time,” said Nabil Grace, PhD, PE, FESD, Senior Vice President of Research & Economic Development, LTU. “Industry and government are looking for partners who can deliver practical solutions, not just publish papers or teach theory. That is where LTU has found its edge: Theory and Practice.”
Grace said LTU’s applied research model is attracting new partnerships and repeat funding, especially from organizations seeking agile research teams that can respond quickly to emerging challenges.
“We are very deliberate about the problems we take on,” Grace said. “Our work is grounded in application. Whether it is extending the life of critical infrastructure or developing new materials, we are focused on outcomes that matter outside the university.”
One of the clearest examples of LTU’s applied innovation strategy is the Centrepolis Accelerator, which helps convert ideas, prototypes, and technical innovation into commercial products, manufacturing growth, investment, and jobs.
Based at LTU, Centrepolis supports hardtech startups, hardware entrepreneurs, and small manufacturers with product development, engineering, manufacturing, funding, commercialization, and supply chain support. Its work has become a major extension of LTU’s “Theory and Practice” mission, connecting innovation with measurable economic outcomes.
Centrepolis has become a proven catalyst for Michigan’s hardtech and small manufacturing ecosystem. Over the past four years, Centrepolis has raised $28 million, with 73% of that funding directed to companies. The accelerator serves more than 100 companies annually and provides detailed services to about 60 companies each year.
The broader economic impact is substantial.
Centrepolis-supported companies have generated $159.5 million in revenue, created 728 jobs, raised $691.3 million in investment, and secured $176.1 million in Michigan supplier contracts.
“LTU’s research growth and Centrepolis’ commercialization work are two sides of the same strategy,” said Dan Radomski, CEO of Centrepolis Accelerator at LTU. “We are building an ecosystem where ideas do not stop at the lab or the prototype stage. They move into production, into supply chains, and into the marketplace.”
Radomski said Centrepolis’ impact is particularly important as Michigan and the nation work to strengthen domestic manufacturing, build more resilient supply chains, and accelerate hardtech commercialization.
“Michigan has the engineering, product development, and manufacturing DNA to lead the next era of hardtech innovation,” Radomski said. “Our job is to help innovators tap into that strength, get connected to the right resources, and scale in ways that create lasting economic value here.”
LTU’s research and commercialization growth is also strengthening the university’s role in Michigan’s talent pipeline. Students are increasingly participating in funded research, industry-sponsored work, and commercialization-focused projects, gaining hands-on experience that aligns directly with employer needs.
“This is where education and innovation come together,” Grace said. “Students are not just learning theory. They are contributing to projects that have real impact, which gives them a significant advantage when they enter the workforce.”
Radomski said the connection between research, entrepreneurship, manufacturing, and workforce development is central to LTU’s value.
“When students see research become a product, a company, a supplier contract, or a job, they understand innovation in a very different way,” Radomski said. “That is the power of LTU’s model. It prepares talent while helping companies solve real problems.”
As federal, state, philanthropic, and private investment in applied research and commercialization continues to expand, LTU is positioning itself as a high-value partner for organizations seeking speed, flexibility, technical depth, and direct industry alignment.
“LTU’s research growth is not just a measure of funding,” Sobh said. “It is a measure of relevance to students, to industry, and to Michigan’s future. Through our faculty, research centers, and commercialization programs, we are building an applied innovation ecosystem with real economic impact.”
Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU, which offers communication training programs of the former Specs Howard School, and LTU’s growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.