Inventors Council of Michigan.

The Inventors Council of Michigan (INCOM) was founded in 1983 as "a council for individuals dedicated to assisting each other in the many steps of the invention and innovation process" ("Fact Sheet," F: Bylaws and Organization). INCOM was a not-for-profit organization operated by the Industrial Development Division of the Institute of Science and Technology of the University of Michigan under the direction and chairmanship of J. Downs Herold. It held monthly meetings for its over three-hundred members and provided such services to its inventor members as invention evaluations, consultation and discussions on marketing and manufacturing an invention, and creating networks between inventors and Michigan businesses. In 1988, the Industrial Development Division decided to transfer direction and support from the public to the private sector thus expanding its inventor-focused membership to include product developers and other groups concerned with economic development in Michigan.

The Inventors Council of Michigan, chaired by J. Downs Herold, was founded in 1983 to provide assistance and support to Michigan inventors. Originally a not-for-profit organization, it was operated by the Industrial Development Division of the Institute of Science and Technology of the University of Michigan.