Sometimes Even the Best Ideas Need a Little Help

In 2009, InnovationWorks assisted more than 415 West Michigan companies and innovators to commercialize more than a dozen ideas, in West Michigan.

Advancing the West Michigan Economy

There’s a reason only 1 in 30 patents make it to market: Actually, there are several.  The commercialization process can be expensive, time intensive and confusing, but it doesn’t have to be.   InnovationWorks (IW) was created by The Right Place, Inc. to assist West Michigan businesses and entrepreneurs to commercialize ideas and improve the innovation process within their companies.

Founded in 2007, IW is committed to supporting economic development and job growth by increasing the innovation competency of West Michigan companies, and increasing the number of commercialized ideas throughout the region. InnovationWorks relies on its extensive regional and national networks of contacts, ideas, and support services to fulfill that mission.

Our Services:

InnovationWorks serves companies, innovators, entrepreneurs throughout a seven-county West Michigan region.  It provides one-stop assistance for:

• Mining: IW staff and partners work with inventors, academia, entrepreneurs and businesses to identify and commercialize ideas. A web-based Idea Portal serves as a digital clearinghouse of these ideas, making them available to those who become members of InnovationWorks.
• Connecting: Through collaborative networks and events, people are connected to ideas and resources to invigorate and assist their eff orts. For example, Design West Michigan gathers designers from all disciplines to explore design capabilities as economic building blocks. Other collaborative networks focus on topics relating to open innovation, advanced production and sustainability.
• Coaching: Those seeking assistance will find referrals to services and resources through the Idea Portal. In addition, training workshops, events and one-on-one consulting help fill the knowledge gaps and keep the commercialization process moving forward.

Assistance Includes:

• Commercialization process discovery and referral assistance
• University and technology transfer access and collaboration support
• Intellectual Property discovery, benchmarking and marketing support
• Local, state, and federal government access and service coordination
• Supply chain and distribution strategy development and coordination assistance
• Peer-to-Peer learning consortia
• Customized consulting

Browse this site to learn more about our innovation services, or contact our InnovationWorks team for more information.

Bill Foley
Innovation Director

616.301.6246
foleyb@rightplace.org

Anne Saliers

Innovation Director

616.301.6248
saliersa@rightplace.org