If the needs of your company or organization cannot be met by the School of Information, please consider these other options for your project to be addressed by students. 

Engineering Opportunities

Multidisciplinary Design Program - College of Engineering

• Description: Year-long engagement with First Year through Professional Masters’ Students on student projects: prototyping, optimization, operations, programming, app development, engineering.
• Cost: $20,000
• Submission Deadline for Proposals: June 30 commitment for January-December projects
• Contact: Jenn Carlson - [email protected] | 734.763.2834

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design (ME: 450) - College of Engineering 

• Description: The best ME 450 projects are open-ended enough to allow for generation of diverse solution concepts, but narrow enough that the required analysis can be completed primarily with engineering fundamentals (rather than extensive use of computational analysis tools). Prototyping and validation should be able to be completed with relatively low-cost materials and should not require unusual equipment or instrumentation.
• Cost: $5,000
• Submission Deadline for Proposals: July 15 for fall semesters (September-December) or November 15 for winter semesters (January-April)
• Contact: Heather Cooper - [email protected] | 734.764.4064

Center for Socially Engaged Design (C-SED)

• Description: C-SED welcomes partnerships with community organizations, government agencies, and industries interested in exploring opportunities for design projects. With training and oversight from C-SED, student teams perform rigorous field-based needs exploration and problem definition. Partner organizations receive articulated and validated needs from which to develop further projects while students gain real-world experience applying socially engaged design skills.

Contact: C-SED - [email protected]

Marketing and Business Opportunities

Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP) Program - Ross School of Business

• Description: Marketing strategy, market analysis, market entry, strategic planning, financial modeling, sustainability, product launch, operations processes, mergers, and acquisitions.
• Cost: Program fee is determined based on proposed project travel
• Submission Deadline for Proposals: Varying dates throughout the year
• Contact: Chris Tarnacki - [email protected] |  734.647.7110

Living Business Leadership Experience - Ross School of Business

• Description: Create and launch a new product or service, establish a new functional unit
• Cost: $50,000 per academic year
• Submission Deadline for Proposals: LBLE engagements begin with sponsoring a Winter term MAP project. Deadlines for Winter MAP projects fall in October and November.
• Contact: Mike Barger - [email protected] | 734.763.3978 / Megan Piersma - [email protected] | 734.763.3647

Business + Impact Board Fellows

Business+Impact is all about building relationships. Using our rigorous matchmaking and vetting process, students with the unique skills to work on your organization’s pressing issues will be assigned to your board as non-voting members. You will benefit from their expertise in project management, marketing, business systems, policy analysis, strategic planning, and more. As a result, your nonprofit will gain a valuable new perspective in board discussions, and the knowledge and skills of a graduate student applied to a project of your choosing. For the coming year, projects could focus on the COVID-19 response or on broader strategic goals.

Ann Arbor SPARK

Ann Arbor SPARK, an economic engine within southeast Michigan, is cultivating a network of business and manufacturing excellence. Whether you are launching your first startup, a seasoned entrepreneur, or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, our services can help you succeed.

Propelling thought leadership and creative implementation, we concentrate our efforts on four innovation-driving industries: automotive and mobility; life sciences and healthcare; data and information; and technology. The services we provide include incubating and accelerating startups, showcasing our vibrant communities to site selectors, and connecting job seekers with hopeful employers.

Headquartered in downtown Ann Arbor near the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor SPARK serves Washtenaw and Livingston counties.

Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Program (DNEP) 

The Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project (DNEP) is an accelerator program for neighborhood businesses in Detroit. The program connects U-M students and faculty with entrepreneurs and small businesses for free strategic and technical assistance consulting projects. Entrepreneurs work with student teams, supervised by U-M faculty from the Business School, Law School, Stamps School of Art and Design, and/or the Ford School of Public Policy.

Contact: Christie Baer - [email protected]

Business Engagement Center (BEC)

Our team works closely with corporate partners to identify win-win partnerships and collaborative opportunities that advance the mission of both organizations. 

Areas of engagement include: securing access to student talent, recruitment, research, commercialization, corporate education, and strategic giving. 

View more opportunities to work with U-M students on the BEC website here.

Public Sector Opportunities

The Edward Ginsberg Center

Community and civic engagement center with a mission to cultivate and steward equitable partnerships between communities and the University of Michigan in order to advance social change for the public good. Based onthis mission, our vision is for inclusive democracy; thriving, diverse communities; and equity and social justice.

Areas of focus:

• Empowering students to engage in positive change through social justice education, leadership development, and meaningful civic and community engagement experiences.
• Supporting faculty and academic program staff efforts to connect socially just civic and community engagement experiences to coursework, research and programs.
• Connecting community organizations with students, faculty, and staff that are invested in positive social change.

University of Michigan Government Relations

The University of Michigan Community Relations Office coordinates partnerships with the University, local government, and greater Ann Arbor community organizations.