To help Wisconsin businesses and communities facing economic challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, WEDC has launched a digital platform—Focus Forward—to serve as an online “one-stop shop” for state, federal and other funding and operational assistance programs. Focus Forward provides up-to-date information through multimedia formats to help business owners in Wisconsin navigate the complexities of
Employees of Forth Floral in Rhinelander wear masks produced with 3D printers in the Hodag Fab Lab. Over the past five years, WEDC has invested more than $2.8 million to help 77 school districts across the state create and equip fabrication laboratories (fab labs) that support hands-on education in the science, technology, engineering,
Even as Wisconsin’s rural communities grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, they also face long-term challenges to their economic survival, such as fewer job opportunities and a rapidly aging and declining population base. As part of his State of the State address in January, Governor Tony Evers announced he was establishing the Office
In a recently published ranking of startup ecosystems, Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay and Appleton made significant gains and registered “amazing momentum,” according to StartupBlink’s Global Ecosystem Rankings report, which ranks 100 countries and 1,000 cities around the world. StartupBlink is a global startup ecosystem map and research center that works with dozens of governments, municipalities
Toy Haus in Monroe is one of the businesses participating in the Main Street Marketplace. As the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of retail stores, it customers were challenged to find information about which stores offered online sales or curbside pickup—and likewise, stores struggled to get the word out to customers interested in
Three business expansions—at the ND Paper plant in Biron, Nouryon Pulp and Performance Chemicals in Howard and Catalent Pharmaceuticals in Madison—topped the list of WEDC’s biggest economic development projects of the calendar year 2019. Overall, WEDC assisted 289 businesses and communities across 16 industries, totaling more than $250 million in awards.
Targeted Industry Project Grant Increase in Proposals If the discoveries taking place in academic research laboratories are not translated into products and technologies that can reach and benefit end-users, these discoveries fail to fulfill their potential impact. Yet too often, researchers lack the skills, knowledge and connections—or simply the funding—to
