Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has unveiled the Michigan Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Initiative, along with more than $4.1 million in funding for AAM research and infrastructure.
“Michigan has long been a hub of innovation, and with today’s Advanced Air Mobility Initiative, we are building on that proud legacy to lead the future,” said Whitmer. “As the global competition for aviation and autonomous aerial mobility heats up, the United States must use every asset we have to design, test, and build the uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) technologies we will need to strengthen critical supply chains, protect our national security, and reduce our dependence on foreign manufacturing. Michigan can lead the way.”
The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) will lead the implementation of the Michigan AAM strategy in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), Michigan Aeronautics Commission, Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation (ODAI) and other agencies as appropriate.
Michigan is already making investments in AAM, including through the second round of AAM Activation Fund recipients who will share the $4.1 million in funding.
Projects receiving funding will address delivery needs in healthcare, emergency services, and the automotive industry while also advancing academic research in the area, according to state officials. The first round of funding, totaling more than $6 million, was launched in July 2024.
The four projects receiving funding include:
- CVS Health ($1.5 million): Michigan will be the first state to support CVS Health’s drone initiative, which aims to make it faster, simpler and more environmentally sustainable to get specialty medications to patients.
- Traverse Connect ($949,000): Expanding upon the Traverse Connect’s previously awarded AAM project, which tested and scaled UAS for uses that include delivery of medical supplies and other healthcare services to improve rural health outcomes, the new project seeks to implement a new phase of use of UAS to enhance the transportation of critical medical supplies, laboratory samples, and equipment across Munson Healthcare’s network of clinics.
- Jack Demmer Automotive Group ($740,000): In partnership with DroneUp, Blueflite, and Airspace Link, the project will focus on utilizing drones for the rapid delivery of high-demand automotive parts within a 12-mile radius of Jack Demmer Ford dealerships. By leveraging drone delivery, the project aims at addressing current logistics challenges caused by road congestion and workforce shortages in urban settings like metro Detroit, according to state officials.
- University of Michigan ($1 million): The university will create “M-Air,” an expansion of the Mcity public/private partnership, building out testbeds for AAM and UAS. M-Air will also help incubate, attract, and nurture startups in aerospace, improve student learning from K-12 to graduate education, and with its industry partners assist academic faculty with responding to and winning federal grants for the region. In partnership with Michigan Central, M-Air will help establish a Detroit–Ann Arbor air mobility corridor that links the Advanced Aerial Innovation Region anchored at Michigan Central with a new hub to be established at the University of Michigan, creating a connected ecosystem for innovation, testing, and deployment.
“The next frontier of mobility is moving from land to sky, where drones and electric aerial vehicles can transform how we move people and goods,” said Karen Thole, the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering and a professor of mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering. “Michigan Engineering’s M-Air partnership will play an important role in propelling the state to national leadership in advanced aviation technology and developing the workforce we need to sustain it.”
For more information: MichiganBusiness.org/Mobility
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