Skip to main content

Derq picks up first grant from Michigan’s PlanetM

Dubai-based software company Derq is the first recipient of a grant under a new $1 million programme from Michigan state’s technology innovation facilitator PlanetM. Derq’s V2X software applications to predict and prevent accidents recently went live at a Detroit intersection, said Georges Aoude, chief executive and co-founder of Derq. “In addition to the grant, PlanetM has shown us that Michigan state is open for business,” he said. Over the coming year companies including Derq will get 75% of the costs
June 6, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
© F11photo | Dreamstime.com
Dubai-based software company Derq is the first recipient of a grant under a new $1 million programme from Michigan state’s technology innovation facilitator 8439 PlanetM.


Derq’s V2X software applications to predict and prevent accidents recently went live at a Detroit intersection, said Georges Aoude, chief executive and co-founder of Derq. “In addition to the grant, PlanetM has shown us that Michigan state is open for business,” he said. Over the coming year companies including Derq will get 75% of the costs of any testing programme including at Mcity, a self-contained 20 hectare “fake city” just outside Detroit.

“The start-up technology being tested here in Michigan will lead to meaningful improvements in thei quality of life and access to transportation solutions thr oughout the state,” said Trever Pawl, vice-president of PlanetM, the mobility research arm of the Michigan Economic Development Commission.

“We’re constantly working to address the needs of those people engaged in the mobility community and we’re taking it to the next level through testing and deployment,” said Pawl.

Booth 300

Related Content

  • February 2, 2012
    Pioneering IntelliDrive technologies in Michigan
    Pete Goldin reports on upgrades to the USDOT's Michigan Test Bed, where IntelliDrive technologies are being pioneered
  • January 28, 2019
    Google spin-off Waymo to open ‘world’s first Level 4 AV’ factory in Michigan
    Waymo, the company that began as Google’s driverless car project, has pledged to open a facility in Michigan, US, to produce advanced autonomous vehicles (AVs). In a statement, Waymo insisted: “This will be the world’s first factory 100% dedicated to the mass production of Level 4 AVs.” Level 4 automation means that no human interaction is required, and the vehicle is able to adjust in the case of things going wrong – but there is an option for manual override. This is still some way from Level 5, in
  • September 25, 2023
    GridMatrix goes back to the future in New York City
    Legacy traffic management infrastructure doesn’t have to be a marker of the past: software upgrades can bring it into the present in a cost-effective and timely way, says Gordon Feller
  • June 7, 2018
    Cadillac future is V2X, says General Motors
    One of the biggest automotive manufacturers on the planet has signalled its intention to embrace cutting-edge ITS technology across an iconic brand. General Motors is to introduce vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications – while extending a semi-autonomous, hands-free driver assistance feature - in its Cadillac range. The company made the announcement in a keynote speech at ITS America’s annual meeting in Detroit. Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president (above), global product development, purchasing an