EDUCATION AND TECH TRANSFER

Wisconsin has a vibrant education and technology transfer infrastructure, with ample opportunities for people and businesses to connect with resources they need. 

The University of Wisconsin System has 13 four-year campuses and 13 two-year campuses, with the UW-Madison and the UW-Milwaukee offering doctoral programs. All four-year campuses engage in research at the undergraduate level, the graduate level or both.   

At the UW-Madison, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation handles disclosures, patenting and licensing. At the UW-Milwaukee, the same functions are housed at the UWM Research Foundation. For the 11 non-doctoral or “comprehensive” campuses, WiSys is the patenting and licensing agent. Each organization is adept at making industry contracts and helping faculty, staff and students alike consider ways to turn ideas into products or companies.  

There are two-dozen private colleges and universities in Wisconsin. The leading research and tech transfer institutions are the Medical College of Wisconsin, Marquette University, the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Concordia University. Tech transfer assets can be found on each campus. 

The Wisconsin Technical College System is organized in 16 districts with 47 campuses, each located in various regions of the state. They are skilled at matching students and resources with businesses in their respective districts.  

In all cases, there are formal or informal portals for students to learn more about becoming an entrepreneur. Some examples are: Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, Discovery to Product and Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic.