Wayne State University School of Business Administration is announcing a new global partner for its Adams Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program. Ford Global Technologies, LLC (FGTL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company that manages all aspects of intellectual property for Ford and its brands, will partner with Wayne State University (WSU). This opportunity offers a highly entrepreneurial experience for one Wayne State MBA student or alumnus and is supported by a grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
"The fellowship recipient will work closely with Ford Global Technologies to discover untapped opportunities to commercialize and license intellectual property," said Terry Cross, WSU School of Business Administration executive-in-residence and administrator of the Adams Fellowship Program. "The fellow will also work closely with an experienced entrepreneur to explore the possibility of creating a firm to produce, market and sell a product using a select FGTL technology," he said. The fellow, chosen from students or alumni of the Wayne State MBA program, will earn a generous salary and benefits during his or her year in the program.
The Technology Commercialization (TC) Team of Ford Global Technologies, LLC markets and licenses select patented and non-patented technologies and other forms of intellectual property rights such as trade secrets, copyrighted works, industrial designs, software, source code, business methods, manufacturing methodologies, strategic quality processes and procedures, training materials, mask works, technical know-how, and other forms of proprietary rights of Ford and its brands to other companies for use both inside and outside of the automotive industry.
(2) Wayne State School of Business Administration and Ford Global Technologies to partner in entrepreneur fellowship program
"We start by leading efforts within and across all organizations of Ford and its brands to strategically identify, then develop business cases/models, and build a number of One Ford Teams to assist in ultimately licensing, leveraging, and commercializing various forms of Ford developed intellectual property," said Chris Danowski, director of technology commercialization at FGTL. "Then, this office works closely, not only with other Automotive OEMs and their suppliers but also with corporate executives, their managers, and support staffs from various Fortune 500 firms around the globe, and even with governmental agencies and capital venture firms, to commercialize, license, and generate incremental royalty revenue streams on the many different types of innovative technologies and other forms of intellectual property that Ford and its brands have developed."
"We look forward to partnering with Wayne State University's School of Business for the Adams Fellowship Program. We believe it will provide many mutually rewarding benefits for WSU, the selected WSU student entrepreneur, Ford, FGTL, our customers, licensees, and partners, both now and in the years to come. This is a fabulous opportunity for Ford and FGTL to provide a conduit to assist our educators and graduating university students with real world entrepreneurship experiences and grow the next generation of great entrepreneurs. We benefit as well from the specific and special talents they bring to us." Danowski said.
This is the fourth consecutive year that the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan awarded the Adams Fund grant to the WSU School of Business Administration in support of the Adams Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program. The program has already facilitated the creation of two new businesses: Monarch Antenna in Ann Arbor and SpaceForm in Wayne State University's TechTown. More information can be found at www.business.wayne.edu.
(3) Wayne State School of Business Administration and Ford Global Technologies to partner in entrepreneur fellowship program
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About Wayne State University and the School of Business Administration
Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students. The School of Business Administration at Wayne State University provides quality business education through degree programs accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit www.wayne.edu.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
About The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations committed to the future of southeast Michigan. The Foundation works to improve the region's quality of life by connecting those who care with causes that matter. The Foundation supports a wide variety of activities benefiting education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development and civic affairs. Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed more than $380 million through more than 33,500 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston counties. For more information, please visit www.cfsem.org.