UW-Madison has built a considerable base of experience in translational research for40 years through this grant program which promotes and advances UW-Madison research having commercialization potential that will benefit Wisconsin's economy.

In existence since 1965, the state-funded I&EDR program funds proposals that focus on research that is technologically innovative, of relevance and interest to a broad economic sector, and offer a high likelihood of benefiting industrial and economic development in the near term. The program operates as follows:

• The program issues a call for proposals each fall.
• A review committee comprised of UW-Madison industry relations staff having expertise in technology commercialization assesses the commercial potential of grant applications.
• The technical or scientific merit of each proposal is evaluated by a review committee of faculty members having competence in the scientific field relevant to the proposals they review.
• Applicants must be UW-Madison faculty members or academic staff who apply for an average of $35,000 in I&EDR seed funding for up to 12 months of work. Awards usually are in the $25,000-$40,000 range.
• Approximately $600,000 is available annually for research grants, subject to the availability of funding.

Allen Dines, assistant director of the UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations (OCR), and proposed program manager for the BME Translational Research Partnership and Lawrence Casper, Associate Director for the BME Center for Translational Projects and Programs have served as long-standing members of the committee that assesses the commercial merit of grant applications. The I&EDR program has played a vital role in supporting the Office of Corporate Relations' New Business Start-Up Initiative (see below) designed to help create, support and sustain new startup companies from the university. The OCR and the College of Engineering Deans Office uses its strong ties to Wisconsin's business community to help broker partnerships between UW researchers and state businesses, which sometimes have resulted in I&EDR-funded projects. The I&EDR program is a prime example of what can be harnessed on this campus to build stronger ties with Wisconsin businesses and spur economic development, while adding value and meaning to academic research.

The I&EDR program has proven its value in a variety of other ways as well. According to one study covering a 10-year period of the program, for every dollar of I&EDR funding, $5.6 of additional federal money have been generated. So far, the I&EDR program has funded more than 960 projects, many of which have resulted in new products, inventions and businesses spurring economic growth, investment and job creation in Wisconsin. I&EDR grants often provide the technical proof of concept that allow investigators to generate additional grant funding and private sector investment to support for their research programs. The majority of I&EDR grants are awarded as "seed" money to support early stages of applied research. In summary, there are 122 Wisconsin companies that have been formed to commercialize technologies/inventions created at the UW-Madison. Of these 123 companies, 21 have ceased operations and 10 have been acquired and/or left the state. The 91 remaining companies provide high-tech jobs for 1,736 employees.

"A Guide for New Business Ventures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison"

The Guide is a brief narrative booklet highlighting the steps faculty and staff should follow in considering a startup business enterprise. The booklet covers fundamentals of starting a business, the role of a business plan, how to work with WARF on securing license to appropriate patents and issues related to conflict of interest and use of university facility by early stage faculty/staff startup companies. This will serve as the initial driver for BME faculty conducting translational research as part of this program who express an interest in creating a company and its basis for initial discussions.

Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, School of Business

Within the UW-Madison School of Business, the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship is dedicated to teaching, research and services related to entrepreneurial management and enterprise development. The School of Business offers an MBA concentration program in entrepreneurship through the Center. The Weinert Applied Ventures and entrepreneurship (WAVE) program, operated by the Weinert Center, focuses on selected companies through its year-long business planning practicum, Weinert Applied Ventures is a small venture fund that invests in early-stage companies where students have been involved. The MBA students in WAVE are a resources that can be utilized in evaluating the market potential for product ideas developed as fort of this program.

The Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is ranked among the top programs in the nation, according to the April 2003 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine

The Initiative for Studies in Technology and Entrepreneurship (INSITE), School of Business

The Initiative for Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship (INSITE) seeks to enhance the University of Wisconsin's impact on technology entrepreneurship in two ways: facilitate, create and transmit fundamental research related to technology entrepreneurship; and facilitate and encourage leveraged curriculum and program development related to technology entrepreneurship. INSITE provides an intellectual forum by bringing external speakers to the UW-Madison to discuss contemporary work in technology and entrepreneurship. Dissemination of these seminars to BME and clinical faculty participating in the program will be explored.

Launching Entrepreneurial Advisory Programs (LEAP)

Launching Entrepreneurial Advisory Programs (LEAP) provides volunteer advisory panels for women entrepreneurs to help enhance the growth, profitability and success of their South-central Wisconsin businesses. The BME Department continues to increase in gender diversity among its faculty and will utilize LEAP to work with our women faculty members. The UW-Madison also has a unique program to encourage gender diversity, the Women In Science & Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI). This NSF funded institute is a centralized, visible administrative structure with a mission to address a number of impediments to women's academic advancement. The center structure of WISELI allows the institute to bring the issues of women scientists and engineers from obscurity to visibility. It provides an effective and legitimate means of networking women faculty across departments, decreasing isolation, advocating for and mentoring women faculty, and linking women postdoctoral fellows in predominantly male environments with a variety of women faculty.

Small Business Development Center

Provides management education, training, counseling and networking opportunities for small business owners and managers. Many courses offered through the SBDC are relevant to startup businesses. The UW-Madison SBDC is the largest such SBDC in the nation offering more than 200 courses and programs.

Technology Business Development Institute

A cooperative venture between the Small Business Development Center and the UW-Madison School of Business working at the interface between business and technology innovation The Institute provides seminars, counseling and networking focused on the special needs of high technology companies. Short courses and seminars are offered frequently and at low cost to faculty and staff. Example programs include:

• Strategic Product Development for Technology Companies
• First Steps For Starting A Technology Business
• Business planning for scientists & engineers
• Selling technical products and services
• Acquiring angel & venture capital
• Using alliances as a business growth strategy
• Using mergers and acquisitions for growth

BME faculty engaged in translational research and commercialization may need to access appropriate business training, just-in-time, utilizing such frequently offered short courses.

Wisconsin Techsearch

Wisconsin TechSearch (WTS) is a fee-based information outreach program of the Kurt F. Wendt Library. WTS offers document delivery and reference services to business and industry, including on-line literature, patent and trademark searches. WTS provides access to the information resources of Kurt F. Wendt Library, which contains outstanding collections in science and engineering, and is a US Patent and Trademark Depository Library. In addition, the WTS offers access to the more than 40 libraries and information centers on the UW-Madison campus.

School of Business Library: How to Research a Company

Fee-based information services for business and industry focused on company research.

UW-Technology Enterprise Cooperative

Brings students, faculty and staff together with industry and entrepreneurs to foster growth and development of high technology businesses. The UW-TEC organizes and sponsors Idea Fest each Fall where students are introduced to opportunities to participate in the Burrill Business Plan Competition, the Schoofs Prize and the Tong Prototype Competition.

The G. Steven Burrill Technology Business Plan Competition

The G. Steven Burrill Technology Business Plan Competition is a cooperative initiative between the school of Business, the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and life Sciences. This competition in its 6th year is funded by G. Steven Burrill, a UW-Madison Alumni and founder and managing partner of Burrill & Company, a San Francisco-based merchant bank that manages in excess of $500 million in venture capital fund directed at life science investments. The competition offers an opportunity for student teams to develop and present technology-based business plans. To compete, each student team must have cross-functional participation and include representation from the Business School and either expertise from students in engineering teams of UW-Madison students to include participants from business and engineering or science (from College of Engineering or from College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) Each year cash prizes of $22,000 are awarded and the top two place finishers are automatically entered as finalists in the Governor's Business plan Contest (see below).

UW-Madison Entrepreneurship Association

Provides student and the local community additional channels, resources, and opportunities in entrepreneurial networking and development to compliment academic and professional career goals. Each year the Association holds several programs offering speakers from business and industry who have successfully started companies.

Office of Corporate Relations New Business Start-Up Initiative

The New Business Start-Up Initiative is sponsored by the Office of Corporate Relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is a nine-point program designed to help create, support and sustain new start-up companies from the university.

The program, funded in part by WARF and by the university Research Park reflects the commitment by the chancellor to the tremendous potential among its faculty, staff and students to form new businesses that will create new jobs and contribute to a stronger Wisconsin economy. Allen Dines, assistant director of OCR, is program manager for this initiative and is also the proposed program manager for the BME Translational research partnership.

The UW-Madison Start-Up Initiative amplifies and complements the above pre-existing entrepreneurial support programs with several new programs organized into three broad areas:

Assistance

• CEO Mentoring, which includes counseling and assistance for chief executives of UW-Madison start-up companies, will assist them in fine-tuning their business and financial strategies, including presentations to potential investors. (This program will start serving companies in Fall 2005)
• Business Opportunity Consultations or “Blue Sky” sessions are provided in collaboration with the Entrepreneurial Management graduate course in the School of Business, under the direction of Dr. Larry W. Cox. This program serves as a venue for faculty, staff or students having rough ideas about potential businesses to examine and vet their concepts with an independent business-oriented group.
• Entrepreneurial Development Micro Grants will be awarded to early-stage entrepreneurs from UW-Madison start-up companies to help offset the cost of their participation in conferences, forums, short courses and other seminars that are vital to their success. (This program will start accepting requests in Summer 2005)

Events

• The CEO Breakfast Series is a quarterly meeting convened by the Office of Corporate Relations for chief executives of very early stage UW-Madison-affiliated companies, and will provide peer-level networking and support (Three meetings are scheduled for 2005, the first breakfast was held April 2005).
• First Look Forums for early stage investors, hosted by the Office of Corporate Relations for the angel and venture capital community, to provide a venue for early stage and concept stage UW entrepreneurs to discuss their business concepts with representatives from the venture capital community to gain feedback on how to advance business ideas toward a fundable opportunity. Faculty presenters at the first forum included Dr. David Beebe of the Dept of BME. Two additional Forums have been scheduled for Fall 2005

Publications

• “Succeeding with Tech Transfer at UW-Madison” is a unique conversation with UW-Madison faculty who have mastered the various aspects of business start-ups and on-going industry-relations issues. Now in development by the Weinert Center's Gerard George, an assistant professor in the School of Business, these conversations are being captured in both video and DVD formats with funding and co-sponsorship by WARF, and will be provided to faculty and staff as a way to share with them the insights gained by other successful entrepreneurs in the UW-Madison community.
• Surveys of Start-up Outcomes will be conducted periodically by the Office of Corporate Relations to identify and examine issues that have been faced and lessons that have been learned by UW-Madison entrepreneurs (survey data for the first two publications has been collected and reports are targeted for release early Fall 2005).

In addition to the campus organizations and programs supporting entrepreneurial faculty noted above the community and the state of Wisconsin offer a diverse additional array of interrelated opportunities to assist in new venture development and to promote new business growth.

Governor's Business Plan Contest (BPC)

This statewide contest now completing its second year is the only competition having a statewide focus. The Contest provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to compete for cash and in-kind prizes. The contest also has been structured to facilitate interaction and networking among the contestants and the business support community through networking event held in connection with the contest and through a mentorship program. BPC contestants have the opportunity to win upwards of $200,000 in cash and services!

Angel Capital Resource Center, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions

The Angel Capital Resource Center, a DFI sponsored portal designed to support Wisconsin's entrepreneurial spirit by providing entrepreneurs and angel investors a "yellow pages" directory of resources which can assist in making equity investments in early stage companies.

Bureau of Entrepreneurship, Wisconsin Department of Commerce

The Bureau of Entrepreneurship provides entrepreneurial assistance for small businesses, advises small businesses on Federal Clean Air Act compliance issues, and staffs the Small Business Ombudsman and Technology Transfer functions.

Wisconsin Business Wizard

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, the Wisconsin Business Wizard uses a series of five question-and-answer pages which provides customized information to help you start and operate a Wisconsin-based business.

The Wisconsin Toolkit

This site identifies resources for planning and starting a business; navigating government regulations with ease; financing business growth; developing commercial technology; business-to-business networking; advancing to the next business stage; and selling to government markets. The site was developed by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Bureau of Entrepreneurship, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Technology Council.

Wisconsin SBIR Federal-State Technology Partnership

A gateway to information about federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Strategic Technology Transfer Research (STTR).

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource, Small Business Assistance Permit Primer

The DNR has designed the Small Business Assistance web site to take you through step-by-step, the various DNR programs to determine what environmental requirements apply to you including if you may need any environmental permits and how to get them and provide ways to save money and resources through pollution prevention, waste minimization, water conservation and resource protection.

Networking Resources

Wisconsin Technology Council

The Wisconsin Technology Council is the leading catalyst for the creation, development and retention of science- and technology-based businesses in Wisconsin. Working in partnership with others, the Council works to ensure that Wisconsin makes the most of its people, resources and opportunities - and meets the challenges posed by the rise of the Knowledge Economy.

WIN Foundation

Monthly luncheons that bring together entrepreneurs, business owners and related high-tech professionals in a collaboration rich environment. Attendance requires paid registration or annual membership. Operated by the Wisconsin Technology Council, the WIN Foundation has chapters in four Wisconsin cities, Madison, Milwaukee, Appleton and Eau Claire. Additional chapters are in formation.

Wisconsin Technology Network

A web-based publication featuring local, state, regional and national news, commentary and events relevant to high technology and high tech emerging companies. Based at Network 222's Urban Tech Catalyst downtown Madison the site is a venture of WTN Media, itself a recent Madison-based startup company. Free email notifications are available to subscribers.

The Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network

The Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network will formally debut in 2005 as an online gateway and with on-the ground support through four of the major SDBCs delivering state-wide news and features and assistance to entrepreneurs wishing to start a company. WEN will provide a resource center designed to attract significant readership, usage and community development for entrepreneurs and the service and support industries that fulfill their needs. Featured resources will include information on the regulatory, administrative, investment and financial issues that will facilitate and impact the growth of entrepreneurial businesses in Wisconsin. The Web site is complementary to the state-wide entrepreneurial resource and technology transfer centers announced by the governor, which will provide business services and technology-transfer assistance to entrepreneurs.

Accelerate Madison

A high technology networking organization that sponsors monthly events featuring speakers having expertise on diverse topics. Attendance requires paid registration or annual membership.

OCR/Agave Group - High Tech Happy Hours

Organized by OCR and Agave Group, a Madison-based new venture consulting firm started by UW School of Business entrepreneurship graduates. Free monthly networking for Madison's high tech professionals — no pre-registration, no speakers, no format.

Wisconsin Biotechnology and Medical Device Association

Trade association of the Wisconsin Biotechnology and medical device industry. Conducts various networking events, annual meetings and supports committee structure to foster development of the biotechnology industry within Wisconsin.

Center for Technology Transfer, Inc.

CTT's mission is to assist early-stage, high-technology companies in their growth by providing financial and other assistance consistent with the Governor's “Grow Wisconsin” plan for economic development. CTT is led by entrepreneurial executives with hands-on experience in private industry. CTT partners across the state with regional development groups to provide local counseling and assistance.