EXPLORE. ENGAGE. DISCOVER.

The Discovery Building was completed in 2010 and given to the university and Morgridge Institute in 2025, marking a new chapter in WARF’s long tradition of supporting the UW-Madison campus.

The first floor of the building, the Town Center, was designed as a central space where campus, community and industry could gather and discover more about the research and innovation that takes place at UW-Madison. Visitors to the Town Center can host their own event, participate in a variety of programs or enjoy a meal. Our campus partners host many programs throughout the year, including lectures, demonstrations and field trips that bring the wider Wisconsin community onto campus.

The Discovery Building is also home to twin research institutes, the private Morgridge Institute for Research and the public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. Their private-public collaboration helps facilitate breakthrough discoveries to advance health and well-being.

Building donors

A generous gift from UW-Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge started the project. The state of Wisconsin and WARF also contributed initial funding. Two-thirds of the building is privately owned by WARF and the other third is publicly owned by UW-Madison.