Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Today’s Investments Fund Tomorrow’s Brightest Minds.

WARF: Shaping the Future

As WARF embarks on its next century, we envision a future where groundbreaking discoveries continue to improve lives. Building on 100 years of success, we remain dedicated to fueling innovation at UW-Madison, forging global partnerships and championing societal impact. We are committed to collaborating with UW-Madison inventors to drive a new era of discovery and shape a brighter future for all.

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Accelerating Discovery Beyond 100

WARF is expanding its impact through WARF Accelerator, WARF Ventures and WARF Therapeutics, connecting research with entrepreneurial spirit and investment to shape the future.

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A Century Of Achievements

Explore a century of WARF’s impact through key grants, groundbreaking inventions and transformative milestones.

  • 1996

    INVENTIONS

    Ever wonder how vitamin D got in your milk? Or how we can swallow pills? WARF inventions have a surprising history of improving everyday life. Dive in and discover how we have changed the world!.

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  • 1928

    GRANTS

    WARF has invested over $4.5 billion in UW-Madison research, but our impact goes beyond the lab. From researcher support to iconic campus landmarks, explore how WARF fuels a thriving university..

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  • An archived magazine page with the headline "The Wonders of the Wisconsin Dells."
    1954

    MILESTONES

    WARF’s 100-year history is full of unexpected twists. From saving the Wisconsin Dells to Nobel Prize winners, supporting the vision of Aldo Leopold and pioneering stem cell research, learn more about how we broke the mold..

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Be part of the next Breakthrough:

From life-saving anticoagulants like warfarin to everyday essentials like iodized salt and coated pills, WARF inventions have touched countless lives. Want to be part of the next groundbreaking discovery? Explore ways to get involved with WARF.

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Centennial News & Updates

Keep up with the latest centennial news and events! Join us as we mark a century of impact and look ahead to the next 100 years of groundbreaking innovation.

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From idea to company to cure
From idea to company to cure

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation helps UW researchers turn science into start-ups. Faraz Choudhury PhD’17 arrived at UW–Madison seeking a problem to solve. And not a small problem, either. Choudhury…

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After a century investing in innovation, WARF looks to the future
After a century investing in innovation, WARF looks to the future

When biochemistry professor Harry Steenbock filed to patent a groundbreaking vitamin D-fortification process in 1924, he also sparked the creation of an organization primed to bolster innovation for the next…

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A century of research partnerships
A century of research partnerships

CALS scientists are furthering the success and legacy of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation 100 years after its founding. Hector DeLuca left his mark on the UW–Madison campus — literally….

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