Quick Facts



Since its founding in 1925, WARF has:

• Processed approximately 6,000 inventions created by UW-Madison faculty and staff
• Obtained 1,900 U.S. patents on these inventions
• Completed more than 1,600 license agreements with companies all over the world
• Given $1.07 billion to UW-Madison to fund research, programs and initiatives

Since 1928, the first year of the WARF grant, the university has used these monies to:

• Support more than 55,570 research projects, including 1,500 in 2008-2009
• Sponsor scores of named professorships, including 40 in 2008-2009
• Fund thousands of graduate fellowships, including 145 in 2008-2009
• Help retain top faculty
• Partially or fully pay for the construction of nearly every research facility on campus, a total of more than 52 projects at last count

WARF today:

• Manages over 800 pending and over 1,000 issued U.S. patents on UW-Madison technologies, as well as more than 2,000 international equivalents
• Offers more than 1,000 technologies for licensing
• Maintains more than 380 active commercial license agreements
• Has completed more than 30% of its license agreements with Wisconsin companies
• Holds equity in 40 UW-Madison spin-off companies

In 2008-2009, WARF:

• Processed 345 invention disclosures made by UW-Madison faculty and staff
• Filed 273 U.S. patent applications on UW-Madison technology
• Obtained 130 issued U.S. patents
• Gave $54 million to UW-Madison to support research
• Signed 56 new license and option agreements
• Took equity in 1 new UW-Madison spin-off company

Updated: July 1, 2009