U-M and ASICS celebrate new hub for sport innovation
Leaders from the University of Michigan, the State of Michigan, and ASICS joined a standing-room-only crowd in the Taubman College Commons on October 22 to celebrate the official ribbon-cutting for the ASICS x Michigan Sport Innovation Center and AMSI Lab.
The pioneering research effort aims to advance human performance and sport science through a new multi-year research collaboration. The initiative brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers, including Sean Ahlquist, associate professor of architecture at Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, from across U-M to partner with the Japanese sportswear company, with a new dedicated research facility housed within a renovated space in the Art & Architecture Building.
Attendees and participants at the ceremony included U-M President Domenico Grasso; U-M Provost Laurie K. McCauley; U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell; Patricia Hurn, interim vice president for research and innovation; Gov. Gretchen Whitmer; and ASICS President Mitsuyuki Tominaga.
“This is our mission as a great university: to change the world through our discoveries,” President Grasso told the crowd. “Working with our state and federal partners, and with business and industry, we believe will transform the world for the better. This is why society looks to Michigan.”
In addition to the ribbon-cutting, guests also took part in facility tours across campus and enjoyed a panel discussion in the commons with top American distance runners Deena Kastor, Drew Hunter, Emma Grace Hurley, Nathan Martin, and Vincent Mauri, who all participated in a Community Run starting from the Liberty Annex later that evening. On Friday morning, the college also hosted a Q&A with top executives and leaders from the ASICS x U-M partnership about the future of sport innovation, featuring Mitsuyuki Tominaga, COO & president of ASICS; Kathy Velikov, associate dean of research and creative practice at Taubman College; Mike Gotfredson, U-M alumnus and CEO of Roadrunner Sports; and Cat Ayers, vice president of marketing at ASICS.
Backed by $25 million in funding from the ASICS Institute of Sport Science America (ISS America), the initiative serves as the company’s first U.S.-based hub for athlete-focused research and includes faculty from Taubman College; the College of Engineering; the School of Kinesiology; the Institute for Social Research; the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; and Michigan Medicine.
University researchers will work alongside ASICS scientists, product developers, and athletes to prototype, test, and refine ideas with real-world applications. Ahlquist will lead “Future 3D Fabrics for Immersive Strides,” combining advanced knitting techniques, sensing, and smart materials to explore new forms of personalized fit, feedback, and support.
As director of the Lab for Socio-material Architectures at Taubman College, Ahlquist’s work with state-of-the-art industrial knitting machines explores novel material systems through research with the automotive industry, the health care sector, and behavioral science.
“I am excited to further expand our knowledge and expertise in materials innovation with ASICS to develop new technologies that balance both athletic performance and well-being,” said Ahlquist when the collaboration was first announced in December 2025. “This is a unique collaboration for Taubman College that connects how research, design, and material exploration can play across a wide range of industries, well beyond architecture.”
Main Image Credit: Dieu-Nalio Chery, Michigan Photography
