University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering
The University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering is a joint College of Engineering and Michigan Medicine academic department in Ann Arbor, MI, with 47 core faculty and 750+ students, conducting research in histotripsy, tissue engineering, and neural engineering while training the next generation of biomedical engineers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersAnn Arbor, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering does
The University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering (U-M BME) is a joint academic department of the College of Engineering and Michigan Medicine, established as a Bioengineering Program in 1962 and elevated to a full department in 1996. It is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with 47 core faculty, more than 120 affiliate faculty, and a student body of over 750 across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs. The department is consistently ranked among the top BME programs nationally (#6 undergraduate, #6 graduate per U.S. News) and ranks #3 in NIH funding.
Research spans histotripsy (a non-invasive, non-thermal, non-ionizing ultrasound-based tissue ablation modality that has received FDA approval), tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, neural engineering, biomaterials, and computational biomedical engineering. The department generated 39 patent filings in FY2024 and benefits from the Coulter Program, a translational funding vehicle that has produced approximately $650 million in professional funding since its inception. Annual research expenditures are reported at $27 million.
The business model is academic and diversified across tuition, federally sponsored research grants (notably NIH), philanthropy, and technology commercialization royalties. Customers in the funding sense include federal agencies (NIH/NSF), private foundations, industry partners, and a learner population of more than 750 students. The department is currently led by interim chair Doug Noll while a permanent chair search is underway.
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering
- Legal name
- University of Michigan Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Website
- https://bme.umich.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- The University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering is a joint College of Engineering and Michigan Medicine academic department in Ann Arbor, MI, with 47 core faculty and 750+ students, conducting research in histotripsy, tissue engineering, and neural engineering while training the next generation of biomedical engineers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ann Arbor
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition for BME degree programs (B.S.E., M.S., M.S.E., M.Eng., Ph.D.)
- Research Grants and Funding: Federal and state research funding from NIH, NSF, DoD, and industry sources. FY2025 annual research expenditures of $27M.
- Philanthropic Giving: Donations to various BME funds including Impact Fund, Research Fund, Medical Innovation Priority Fund, Undergraduate Scholarship, Student Design Courses, and Fellowship Challenge Fund.
- Technology Commercialization: Revenue from licensing technologies (e.g., HistoSonics, histotripsy patents) and startup companies formed from research.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Undergraduate B.S.E. degree program (ABET-accredited) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
U-M BME is a public academic department that delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate, master's, professional master's (AMPED), and doctoral degree programs in biomedical engineering, alongside specialized research training programs and a translational research portfolio. The department conducts federally funded research across imaging, ultrasonics, biomechanics, neural engineering, regenerative medicine, micro-nanotechnology, and computational biology, and licenses proprietary technologies (notably histotripsy) to industry. It serves approximately 750 students and 47 core faculty.
Product overview
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering is an academic department (not a commercial product company) offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and research services. The department operates as a joint department between the College of Engineering and Michigan Medical School. Academic offerings include: ABET-accredited B.S.E. undergraduate program (9 tracks); Ph.D. program with full funding; Master of Science/Master of Science in Engineering with 5 concentrations; Professional MEng in Advanced Medical Product Engineering and Development (AMPED) for medical technology industry careers; and accelerated BS/MSE through SUGS. Research programs include specialized training in Neural Engineering (NETP), Cellular Biotechnology (CBTP), and Microfluidics (MBSTP). The department conducts translational research through the Coulter Partnership Program and has developed Histotripsy, an FDA-approved non-invasive ultrasound surgical technology. The department ranks #6 (undergraduate) and #6 (graduate) in U.S. News & World Report and #3 in NIH funding, with $27M annual research expenditures and 39 patents issued in FY2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Biomedical Engineering (B.S.E.) Undergraduate Program ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree providing foundation in life sciences and engineering principles. Students choose from nine academic tracks including Biocomputation, Biomedical Imaging & Bioelectrics, Biomechanics, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Engineering, Medical Device Development, Neural Engineering, Pre-Health, Systems Biology, and Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine.
- Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering Doctoral program offering research opportunities alongside faculty in areas including tissue engineering, neural engineering, imaging, drug delivery, systems biology, and biosensors. All students receive full funding.
- Master of Science (MS) / Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) Graduate degree with five concentrations: Bioelectrics and Neural Engineering, Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Biomedical Imaging and Ultrasonics, Biotechnology and Systems Biology, and Biomechanics and Biotransport.
- Advanced Medical Product Engineering and Development (AMPED) M.Eng. Professional Master's degree designed for careers in medical technology industry. Includes design-build-test practicum, quality systems, risk management, regulatory structures training, and AI/ML in healthcare content. Replaced the Medical Product Development concentration.
- Sequential Undergraduate/Graduate Studies (SUGS) Accelerated Master's Combined BS/MSE program allowing students to complete bachelor's and master's degrees in five years by taking graduate-level classes during undergraduate years.
- Michigan Neural Engineering Training Program (NETP) Interdisciplinary training combining engineering and scientific approaches for neural engineering research. Includes seminars, journal club, and annual symposium for PhD students in participating labs.
- Cellular Biotechnology Training Program (CBTP) Training program bringing academic and industrial scientists together to train PhD students in biotechnology. Students earn a Certificate in Cellular Biotechnology upon completion.
- Microfluidics in Biomedical Sciences Training Program (MBSTP) NIH/NIBIB-funded program supporting interdisciplinary graduate training emphasizing biomedical microfluidics. Supports 6 students each for 2 years with 45 faculty from 20 departments participating.
- BME Design Program Experiential learning program including Design Spaces in the Lurie Biomedical Engineering Building. Features freshman ENG 100 company structure, senior capstone design (BME 450/451/452), and instrumentation courses.
- Coulter Translational Research Partnership Program Program supporting research directed at promising technologies progressing toward commercial development and clinical practice. Has achieved $650M in professional funding and is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
- Histotripsy Technology Non-invasive focused ultrasound technology invented at U-M BME that mechanically destroys targeted tissue using acoustic cavitation. FDA-approved for liver treatment; developed by Zhen Xu and team including Charles Cain, Brian Fowlkes, Timothy Hall, and William Roberts.
- Graduate Certificate Programs Certificate offerings including Cellular Biotechnology, Engineering Education Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Nanoscience & Technology, and others through the Rackham School of Graduate Studies.
Quantifiable outcome
- $650M in professional funding through Coulter Translational Research Partnership Program
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature5 records
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- U-M Coulter Partnership for Translational Biomedical Engineering Researchflagship$10M Coulter Foundation endowment matched by $10M from College of Engineering and $10M from Medical School. One of only six universities to receive such an endowment.
- Wallace H. Coulter FoundationflagshipCoulter Translational Research Partnership Program established in 2005 to support clinician-engineer teams moving promising technologies toward clinic and marketplace. Program achieved $650M in professional funding. In 2011, received $10M endowment matched by $10M from College of Engineering and $10M from Medical School.
- HistoSonicsflagshipStartup company commercializing histotripsy technology invented at U-M BME by Zhen Xu and team. Represents successful translation from laboratory invention to clinical use.
- Michigan Innovation PartnershipscoreUniversity program supporting commercialization of research innovations including technology transfer, startup formation, and industry partnerships.
- Center for EntrepreneurshipcoreCollege of Engineering program supporting student and faculty innovation through education, mentorship, and resources for moving innovations to market.
- Fast Forward Medical InnovationcoreProgram supporting commercialization of medical technologies and research translation in partnership with industry.
- Michigan Health System (2.1M patients/year)coreU-M Health system providing clinical data and research collaboration opportunities for computational modeling and AI research in healthcare.
- Lurie Nanofabrication FacilitycoreOne of the best academic cleanroom/nanofabrication facilities in the country supporting micro-nanotechnology research.
- Biointerfaces InstitutecoreU-M institute pushing technology toward clinical application in collaboration with BME faculty and research.
- Max Harry Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and InnovationcoreInstitute allowing doctors to pull technology directly into the clinic for critical care applications.
- Rogel Cancer CentercoreNCI-designated cancer center providing clinical collaboration for cancer research and treatment innovation.
- Frankel Cardiovascular CentercoreCardiovascular center providing clinical collaboration for cardiovascular research and device development.
- Kellogg Eye CentercoreEye care center providing clinical collaboration for ophthalmology research and vision-related technologies.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering: Top-ranked U.S. biomedical engineering department co-located with a leading medical school, offering similar undergraduate, master's, and PhD programs and a comparable translational research engine—directly competing for faculty, students, and NIH funding.
- Georgia Tech / Emory Biomedical Engineering: Joint Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering between Georgia Tech College of Engineering and Emory School of Medicine—same joint Engineering-Medical structure that U-M BME uses since 2012, with parallel Coulter translational program.
- MIT Department of Biological Engineering: Top-tier bio/biomedical engineering department at MIT with strong quantitative and computational emphasis, competing for the same top students, faculty, and federal research dollars in BME and life-science engineering.
- Stanford Bioengineering: Interdisciplinary Stanford Bioengineering department with significant overlap in computational/imaging BME, joint medical/engineering governance, and a comparable translational ecosystem directly competing for applicants and grants.
- Duke Biomedical Engineering: Duke's BME department, jointly housed in Pratt School of Engineering and the School of Medicine, is consistently top-ranked and is a direct competitor for the same graduate student talent and translational research funding.
- UC San Diego Bioengineering: UCSD Bioengineering is among the largest and highest-funded U.S. BME programs and a direct peer for NIH funding ranking, student enrollment scale, and translational research output.
- University of Pennsylvania Bioengineering: Penn Bioengineering is a joint Engineering/Medical School department with strong translational focus and similar nine-plus-track curriculum structure, competing directly for talent and federal research funding.
- Washington University Biomedical Engineering: WashU Biomedical Engineering is a top-ranked program with strong industry and clinical translation, comparable program size, and direct overlap in NIH-funded research focus areas such as imaging and regenerative medicine.
- Cornell Biomedical Engineering: Cornell's Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering is a top U.S. BME program with similar undergraduate/graduate structure, competing for the same applicant pool and federal research awards.
- Caltech Bioengineering: Caltech's Bioengineering option within the Division of Engineering and Applied Science is a high-prestige, research-intensive BME program with comparable concentrations in imaging, biomaterials, and computational bioengineering.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering social profiles
Digital presenceUniversity of Michigan Biomedical Engineering compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering
What does University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering do?
U-M BME is a public academic department that delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate, master's, professional master's (AMPED), and doctoral degree programs in biomedical engineering, alongside specialized research training programs and a translational research portfolio. The department conducts federally funded research across imaging, ultrasonics, biomechanics, neural engineering, regenerative medicine, micro-nanotechnology, and computational biology, and licenses proprietary technologies (notably histotripsy) to industry. It serves approximately 750 students and 47 core faculty.
Is University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering a public or private company?
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering founded?
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering was founded in 1996. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering based?
University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering is headquartered in Ann Arbor, United States, in the North America region.
How does University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are research Grants and Funding, philanthropic Giving and technology Commercialization.
Who are University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech / Emory Biomedical Engineering, MIT Department of Biological Engineering, Stanford Bioengineering, Duke Biomedical Engineering, UC San Diego Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania Bioengineering, Washington University Biomedical Engineering, Cornell Biomedical Engineering and Caltech Bioengineering.
Does University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering have an API?
No public API is recorded for University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering.