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WARF Director Says Institutes For Discovery Risky, But Worth The Gamble
POSTED: 3:44 pm CDT July 26,
2006
By Brian E. Clark
WisBusiness.com
Special To Channel 3000The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery are a risky endeavor, Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), acknowledged Tuesday.But they are worth the gamble because they hold the potential to produce breakthrough science that can improve lives and create new companies and jobs for Wisconsin.“The centers also will strengthen UW-Madison,” said Gulbrandsen, who spoke at a packed Wisconsin Innovation Network luncheon. WARF manages the patents for the university and is contributing $50 million for the institutes.University of Wisconsin-Madison graduates John and Tashia Morgridge have given another $50 million. The state will add another $50 million for the first phase of the project, which will include a private research center named for the Morgridges. The institutes will be built on the 1300 block of University Avenue in the heart of the UW-Madison campus and should open by late 2008.Gulbrandsen said the institutes are needed to leverage research grants from industry and the federal government because the competition with other top universities for funding is increasing.With the Morgridge Institute for Research, the UW-Madison will be better able to compete with top universities like Stanford, which has its own private Clark Center. That facility might serve as a model for the Morgridge center.Gulbrandsen said the Morgridge institute will be more nimble, have less bureaucracy and allow easier transfer of technology to private industry. In addition, because it will be funded with private dollars, Morgridge scientists will be able to work on unregistered stem cell lines.To read more WisBusiness articles, visit the WisBusiness.com Web site.
WisBusiness.com
Special To Channel 3000The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery are a risky endeavor, Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), acknowledged Tuesday.But they are worth the gamble because they hold the potential to produce breakthrough science that can improve lives and create new companies and jobs for Wisconsin.“The centers also will strengthen UW-Madison,” said Gulbrandsen, who spoke at a packed Wisconsin Innovation Network luncheon. WARF manages the patents for the university and is contributing $50 million for the institutes.University of Wisconsin-Madison graduates John and Tashia Morgridge have given another $50 million. The state will add another $50 million for the first phase of the project, which will include a private research center named for the Morgridges. The institutes will be built on the 1300 block of University Avenue in the heart of the UW-Madison campus and should open by late 2008.Gulbrandsen said the institutes are needed to leverage research grants from industry and the federal government because the competition with other top universities for funding is increasing.With the Morgridge Institute for Research, the UW-Madison will be better able to compete with top universities like Stanford, which has its own private Clark Center. That facility might serve as a model for the Morgridge center.Gulbrandsen said the Morgridge institute will be more nimble, have less bureaucracy and allow easier transfer of technology to private industry. In addition, because it will be funded with private dollars, Morgridge scientists will be able to work on unregistered stem cell lines.To read more WisBusiness articles, visit the WisBusiness.com Web site.
Copyright 2006 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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