The University Research Corridor (URC) is an alliance of Michigan’s three largest academic institutions: Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University. The purpose of this alliance is to accelerate economic growth in Michigan by educating students, attracting talented workers, supporting innovation, and facilitating the transfer of technology to the private sector.

This report is part of a series of special topic reports that began in 2007 and are released by the URC in early summer of each year. The purpose of each report is to highlight the URC’s contributions to a specific industry important to Michigan’s economy. This year’s report focuses on how the URC is shaping Michigan’s Information and Communication Technology industry (ICT) through its educational programs, research, and support for entrepreneurs.

We begin this report by developing a rigorous, comprehensive definition of the information and communication technology industry. This industry consists of the study, design, development, implementation, and management of information systems. It focuses on communication technologies, including the Internet, wireless networks, cell phones, and computer-based information systems.