Making a difference in Wisconsin and beyond for 100 years
CONTACT:
Jeanan Yasiri Moe
Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs
[email protected] | (608) 960-9892
MADISON, Wis. – For 100 years, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to advance groundbreaking research. From life-saving medical breakthroughs to sustainable technologies, WARF’s support has helped bring UW-Madison innovations to the world, transforming lives and shaping a brighter future.
As WARF embarks on its second century, the foundation remains committed to empowering UW-Madison researchers, forging global partnerships and championing discoveries that improve lives across Wisconsin and beyond.
Fueling the future of health care
At the Applied Radiochemistry Laboratory, Professor Reinier Hernandez and his team are unlocking the potential of radioactive elements to fight disease.
From designing cutting-edge imaging tools to developing powerful cancer therapies, their work spans the full spectrum of biomedical innovation. Whether it’s enhancing PET scans, creating tumor-targeting treatments or advancing neutron capture therapy, their mission is clear: to turn scientific breakthroughs into life-saving solutions.
Support from WARF Accelerator and WARF Therapeutics is helping Hernandez advance life-changing cancer treatments, including novel therapies for metastatic cancers. Hernandez is one of the thousands of researchers across the UW-Madison campus who receive funding from WARF each year.
This support is part of WARF’s funding and operating support to the UW-Madison research community, which totals $206.9 million across all grant categories and programs for the academic year ending in 2026. A significant portion, $79.3 million, will be made available to the OVCR to fund university researchers, research projects and research facilities. This year’s support also includes $75.8 million for buildings and major equipment, notably the transfer of WARF’s share of the Discovery Building to the university and university-affiliated Morgridge Institute for Research. WARF’s operational and functional support to UW-Madison, valued at $39.9 million, and a grant of $5.2 million to the Morgridge Institute round out the total.
“For 100 years, WARF has stood alongside the University of Wisconsin-Madison, championing the bold ideas and brilliant minds that shape our world,” says Erik Iverson, WARF CEO. “As we enter our second century, our commitment to advancing research that improves lives—here in Wisconsin and across the globe—has never been stronger.”
Fostering innovative campus research
Programs like the Fall Research Competition and Research Forward, which support bold, high-impact research at UW-Madison, receive funding from WARF’s annual grant.
Barb Bendlin, professor in the department of medicine, division of geriatrics and gerontology, is the leader of the Research Education Component in the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and director of the UW-Madison Neuroscience & Public Policy Program. Her lab studies aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
Bendlin has used WARF funding to investigate whether Alzheimer’s disease is caused, or at least influenced, by the gut microbiome. If this turns out to be true, there is a clear translational story, including the potential for new Alzheimer’s treatment and/or prevention based on drugs that influence the gut microbiome or alternative approaches such as fecal transplants. Researchers will assess the role of the microbiome in 250 participants in the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center clinical core and Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention study.
“WARF’s strong and enduring commitment to research at UW-Madison, from funding early discovery efforts to investing in innovations that become tomorrow’s technologies and cures, ensures that our work on campus has real benefits to the state and nation,” says Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. “We’re grateful for the century of support.”
Investing in campus infrastructure
Since it opened its doors in 2010, the Discovery Building has welcomed millions of visitors. A collaborative space where science, creativity and community intersect, it offers programs, events and gathering spaces that connect UW-Madison with the broader public. The building also houses two leading research institutes—the Morgridge Institute for Research and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery—whose partnership fuels innovation in health and science.
As part of its centennial celebration, WARF has gifted its ownership share in the Discovery Building to the university and Morgridge Institute.
“The Discovery Building has become a beacon of collaboration and innovation, welcoming millions and inspiring countless ideas,” says Erik Iverson. “As WARF celebrates our centennial, we are proud to gift this extraordinary space to UW-Madison and the Morgridge Institute, ensuring its legacy continues to spark breakthroughs in science and community engagement.”
Boosting biohealth
Scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research are advancing a technology to improve CAR T cell therapy, which trains a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and attack cancer cells. But only about half of the patients eligible for such therapy have T cells healthy enough to be manufactured into viable cancer-fighting agents. The Morgridge team, led by biomedical engineer Melissa Skala, has developed a new bioimaging technique that can assess T cell fitness in patients and identify those patients most likely to have the best outcomes.
The technology won a 2018 WARF Innovation Award, was supported by WARF Accelerator and led to the formation of SeLight, a startup headed by Skala Lab scientist Amani Gillette. In summer 2025, SeLight received funding from the NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop a clinical prototype.
“Early investment from WARF was critical to de-risk our technology and show that it can succeed in a commercial setting. Now that we have a solid foundation in technical rigor, we can pursue applications and product development,” says Skala.
“SeLight’s progress is a powerful example of how visionary science, backed by strong partners like WARF, can move from the lab to the clinic,” says Morgridge CEO Brad Schwartz. “We’re proud to see Morgridge research advancing technologies that could reshape cancer treatment.”
Supporting students
Brandon E.J. Cortez is a doctoral student specializing in electromagnetics and vacuum electronics. When he started graduate school in 2021, Cortez received the Graduate Engineering Research Scholars (GERS) fellowship, which he said gave him a unique and warm welcome to graduate school. He has appreciated having a community and network of graduate fellows and mentors, the professional development opportunities, and the financial support from the fellowship.
Cortez said the GERS fellowship also helped him secure additional funding.
“The GERS fellowship was a key factor for me being able to win the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and Department of Defense SMART fellowship, which are prestigious awards that will be monumental in pushing my career forward,” he said. “The pooled resources of many NSF fellows revising my application and acting as mentors is invaluable.”
“For a century, WARF has helped bring UW-Madison discoveries to the world. As an alumna and Trustee, I’m inspired by the researchers whose work reflects the Wisconsin Idea—solving real-world problems and improving lives every day,” says WARF Board Chair Deborah Keller.
Nurturing innovation
Haley Vlach is the director of the Learning, Cognition & Development Lab. Her work examines children’s thinking and learning. The goal of her research is to identify the mechanisms underlying children’s learning to understand cognition and how cognition develops. In her intervention research, she tests the efficacy of interventions that support children’s visual attention and memory, and thus in turn their ability to learn new words, ideas and concepts.
Support from the H.I Romnes Faculty Fellowship advances Vlach’s development and testing of new learning interventions that support children’s language and cognitive development.
“WARF’s century of support for UW-Madison research has resulted in one of the nation’s most productive research and product development collaborations. This success is rooted in our joint mission to combine world-renowned research and an industry-focused approach to solve society’s most vexing problems,” says Vice Chancellor for Research Dorota Brzezinska. “While some research priorities have pivoted over time in response to critical needs, the annual support continues a strong tradition of investment in faculty and students to attract and retain the best and brightest, and growing and equipping facilities that are training grounds for the scientists and engineers of tomorrow.”
A century of collaboration
WARF’s total support during fiscal year 2026 continues a century-long tradition of investing in UW-Madison. While most universities bear the cost of technology commercialization and asset management through their own budget, the foundation has provided in-kind mission-driven operational and functional support (over and above direct financial grants) to UW-Madison equivalent to $460 million over the last 15 years. This unique model, which means the university does not have to bear the cost of its technology transfer office, has stood alone in U.S. higher education since 1925 and has helped bring to life innovations ranging from AI-powered software and cancer diagnostics to advanced battery materials and vaccines.
About WARF
Celebrating a century of service in 2025, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) patents and licenses discoveries from UW-Madison research, manages an investment portfolio generated from licensing and investment proceeds, and provides annual grants to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research to support further scientific investigation and research. By driving collaborations among researchers, investors, industry and entrepreneurs, WARF commercializes innovations from campus through various initiatives. WARF Accelerator improves the commercialization potential of university intellectual property through industry engagement and investment in proof-of-concept milestones to validate market potential, demonstrate commercial value and de-risk technology. WARF Therapeutics partners with UW-Madison and Morgridge Institute researchers employing an industry-focused approach to improve the value propositions of drug candidates. WARF Ventures is an early-stage venture fund that invests in startups based on UW/WARF technologies. Learn more at warf.org.
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