EAST LANSING, Mich. — The City of East Lansing has been identified as one of seven top performing communities in the state of Michigan at fostering entrepreneurial growth and economic development in a study by researchers at the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Center for Innovation Research (iLabs).

In addition to performing well in the numerical portions of eCities 2010, the seven top performing communities are recognized for innovative collaborations and programs that aid entrepreneurial growth. These communities demonstrate that they understand what small businesses need to be successful by communicating with them and providing connections to broader resources and insight on trends.

The City of East Lansing, recognized as a five star community by eCities 2010, launched the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center (TIC) in the fall of 2008 and has been at or near capacity since its opening with approximately 14 tenants. The opening of the TIC spurred the relocation of MSU Technologies and MSU Business-CONNECT, as well as the recent student entrepreneurial project: The Hatch. The Hatch, a collaborative effort by MSU and the City, is slated to open in early 2011, providing a creative, co-working environment for up to 25 college students looking to bring their entrepreneurial visions to life. In addition to the unprecedented success of the TIC, East Lansing’s MSU campus has been designated as the future home of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and the community as a whole was recognized in October 2009 as one of the 10 “Best College Towns to Start a Business” in Entrepreneur magazine.

The eCities research surveyed more than 100 communities in the State of Michigan that are home to 128,242 entrepreneurs who earned $3.4 billion in annual income. These communities also had $1.2 billion in commercial development last year and account for nearly half the state’s commercial property.

“We are pleased to be recognized for our efforts to tap into the new economy through various entrepreneurial initiatives,” said New Economy Initiatives Project Manager Jeff Smith. “Our work at the TIC and beyond has allowed us to provide opportunities and support to a growing number of local entrepreneurs, many of which have celebrated tremendous success over the past two years.”

“We are pleased to have participation from so many communities throughout the state in eCities 2010,” said Tim Davis, director of iLabs. “The focus of this project is assisting local communities by identifying best practices and methods that they can implement which will aid with job growth strategies, economic diversification and development of entrepreneurs.”

The top performing communities were honored at a ceremony at UM-Dearborn on Tuesday, Oct. 19 with Rob Fowler, president and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan, providing the keynote address at the event. The City of East Lansing was honored among the following other top performing communities: Village of Jonesville, Meridian Township, City of Tecumseh, Wixom, Grand Rapids and the City of Livonia.

The annual eCities research project, which began in 2007, uses data supplied by the participants as well as other public records to assemble a six-factor, 30-item index to encourage entrepreneurial activity, looking at such factors as clustering incentives, growth, policies, community and education. The study focuses on entrepreneurship because of its importance to expansion and diversification of Michigan’s regional economies and the impact small businesses have on job creation.