UIR grant programs fuel technology transfer

Two innovative campus grant programs help plug a gap between traditional federal and private funding sources.

Plant pathology researcher Doreen Gillespie uses a core tool to collect soil samples as part of a research project to test DNA from soil bacteria for useful drug activity. A University-Industry Relations grant helped the project along. Photo: Jeff Miller See also: Three examples of UIR-funded projects

The deadline for 2000-2001 Industrial & Economic Development Research proposals is Jan. 18. Information: 263-2876; dwardle@facstaff.wisc.edu. Or visit: http://www.wisc.edu/uir/.

The University-Industry Relations grant programs, funded with a combination of state money and revenues generated by the licensing of patents on research discoveries, are unique among the nation’s universities.

“UIR grants are targeted to develop fundamental discoveries to a stage that will interest companies, which is the most difficult research to fund in a university setting,” says plant pathologist Jo Handelsman, a past grant recipient. “Federal grants fund basic research and companies fund research that shows immediate commercial potential. But at that interface between the research laboratory and the marketplace, there is a funding vacuum – a void that only UIR fills at UW–Madison.”

UIR manages two funding programs:

• The Industrial and Economic Development Research (I&EDR) program supports research that leads to industrial and economic development in Wisconsin.
• The Robert F. Draper Technology Innovation Fund (TIF) awards help bring inventions to the marketplace. Proposals can be submitted anytime.

“UW-Madison is fortunate to have these funds for projects that are too applied to be eligible for federal funding and too basic for industrial funding,” says UIR director Steve Price. “Research at this interface often falls into a ‘gap’ in funding as it moves down a developmental path.”

UIR has been funding economic development since 1963. I&EDR funding, provided by the state since 1990, provides seed money to support the early stages of applied research.

UIR receives about $945,000 each fiscal year from the Graduate School in state support for research projects. Price says a 10-year analysis shows that that every dollar invested by UIR returns more than $10 in additional funding.

I&EDR grants often allow campus researchers to generate additional public and private-sector support for their research programs, engage in innovative research, and promote technology transfer between the university and Wisconsin industry. A recent survey of UIR grant recipients also showed:

• Nine spin-off companies have been formed.
• More than 231 scientific and engineering articles have been published.
• Nearly 1,100 students have benefited so far through educational training.

TIF awards, meanwhile, are available to all university faculty and staff inventors for projects aimed at bringing new concepts and inventions to the patent and licensing stage.

TIF money provided by the Graduate School comes from the licensing of UW–Madison research discoveries by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. To be eligible for a TIF grant, a principal investigator must file an Invention Disclosure Report with UIR.