Tapping into Michigan's research might; State snags high-tech projects for military

Imagine frozen kidney cells, thawed on the battlefield, that can serve as a temporary filter to clean the blood of a soldier whose organs were crushed in a vehicle rollover.

Or futuristic armor applied to a military vehicle so it can withstand roadside bombs. Solar panels that roll up like your kitchen aluminum foil for use in space. And lightweight clothing that can protect soldiers in the wildly swinging temperatures of Afghanistan's mountains.

These and other innovative projects needed by the Department of Defense will soon be in the works at Michigan companies, universities and other research centers.

The 2008 Pentagon spending bill recently signed by President Bush specifies about $113 million for projects at Michigan companies, universities and other research institutions, according to U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, the Detroit Democrat who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"Michigan companies can and do provide critical support to our troops, and I am doing everything I can to bring their capabilities and talents to the attention of the military services and the Congress," Levin said.

Technically, the legislation does not specify which companies or institutions are to receive the funding. But the specifications are worded in such a way that it's all but certain the Michigan projects will get the money.

"Innovation is the key for our state to grow. You need to attract new talent here, new brains, new businesses, to help turn around the state," said Nabil Grace, chairman of civil engineering at Southfield's Lawrence Technological University.

Grace is directing a five-year, $11 million Defense Department project in Southfield to create tough armor for vehicles and build cutting-edge simulation chambers where vehicles or bridge beams can be tested in nightmarish scenarios, such as the fires that reached 2,300 degrees at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

The $113 million in the spending bill is only a fraction of what Michigan eventually will get, because the bulk of the Pentagon appropriations for research and products will be awarded through competitive contracts and subcontracts.

In many cases, the Pentagon is tapping Michigan's vehicle savvy -- for example, funding research to create lightweight, portable power sources for Special Operations soldiers; ultra-durable brakes that don't need frequent replacement in rocky terrain like Iraq's; and an electronics system that enables military vehicles to power their electric gizmos without having to regularly turn on the engines.

Other projects highlight innovation beyond the automotive industry. Central Michigan University, for example, is developing filtration technology to remove contaminants and other hazardous materials from water.

And Eastern Michigan University is creating outfits to protect troops from anthrax, typhoid fever, plague, smallpox and other deadly types of biological and chemical agents.

Yet, despite Michigan's manufacturing and growing high-tech specialization, the state ranks only 23rd in the nation in terms of defense contracts, amounting to about $5 billion in 2005, according to data compiled by the Northeast-Midwest Institute. That's a far cry from top-ranked California, which got a whopping $45 billion in defense contracts in 2005.

But the $113 million already in the pipeline for Michigan projects will help keep 250 people with disabilities employed at the Lansing-based Peckham Inc., a nonprofit vocational rehabilitation center.

The center will receive $7.6 million to produce parts of an advanced cold-weather clothing system whose layers weigh just 12 pounds and allow a soldier to strip down or add on to stay comfortable in the huge temperature swings of Afghanistan and similar cold-weather climates.

"Soldiers can stand for a long time, then have to jump into action," said Peckham's corporate vice president Jo Sinha. "So they are cold, cold, cold and then suddenly hot. So they need a clothing system that adds to survivability and is lightweight."

Subhendu Guha, president and chief operating officer of United Solar Ovonic, will receive $3.2 million from the new defense bill to develop ultra-lightweight solar cells on rollable sheets that can be used on satellites and airships stationed 60,000 feet above Earth, monitoring storms and other activities with equipment that needs lots of power.

"We are improving the solar cell technology," Guha said. "We are definitely taking the technology into the future, making lightweight and rollable solar power sources."

Meanwhile, military complexes need to be able to deter chemical and biological threats. Dexter Research Center in Dexter is getting $1.6 million to develop security sensors.

"Hazardous substances have a signature that these devices can pick up," said Dexter President Robert Toth.

"(The devices) are portable units that can be placed in strategic spots to detect chemical and biological threats."

Deborah Buffington, vice president of business and research operations at Innovative BioTherapies in Ann Arbor, says the $1 million targeted for her company will continue research there on thawing frozen kidney cells stored in a tiny box to act as emergency filters for wounded soldiers.

"We are helping replicate what the body (of a critically injured person) can't do," said Buffington. The initial research is being done with cells from mice, sheep and pigs. "The person could get through a dangerous phase as the cells do for them what they can't do for themselves."

State know-how

The Defense appropriations bill for 2008 includes $113 million for specific research projects at Michigan companies and other research centers, as well as billions more in contract projects that Michigan researchers will compete over. Here's a look at some of the $113 million projects:

¥ $1 million for a project by Lawrence Technological University in Southfield to develop armor to protect vehicles from roadside bombs.

¥ $7.6 million for Peckham Industries of Lansing to create part of a lightweight, layered cold-weather outfit for soldiers.

¥ $1 million for Innovative BioTherapies of Ann Arbor to create frozen kidney cells that can be thawed in emergencies and act as temporary, backup kidneys.

¥ $800,000 for Eastern Michigan University to continue work on creating clothing to protect wearer against chemical and biological attacks.