Let’s work to push the world forward, together.

In Wisconsin, you’ll find people with a passion for asking questions, testing limits, measuring results, and making the world a better place through discovery. This passion is the driving force behind the world-class research and development capabilities that support the innovation of companies in our state.

That passion, combined with our culture of collaboration, has led researchers, companies, and policymakers to team up, resulting in some of our great successes. Let’s take a look at some of the academic institutions, public-private partnerships, state-of-the-art facilities, and innovation clusters that make Wisconsin a uniquely innovative environment for your company.

They say you can’t stop a badger—and UW-Madison proves it every day. Ranking eighth in the nation for research spending, Wisconsin’s flagship state university tenaciously pursues tomorrow’s innovations. In fact, UW-Madison ranks 12th in the world as a source for U.S. patents and boasts 20 Nobel Prizes earned by faculty and alumni. With cross-campus research collaborations, hands-on research opportunities for undergrads, and fields of study from social sciences and medicine to the humanities and STEM, UW-Madison continues to produce top talent for local employers.

If we’ve learned anything since 2020, it’s that having quick and easy access to medical innovation can save lives. Through its network of 27 basic and clinical science departments and 23 research centers and institutes, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health pursues lifesaving tools, techniques, and treatments every day. Its relentless research has brought us innovations such as the Mohs surgical technique and the SPF scale, along with Nobel-honored discoveries in the areas of stem cells, retroviruses, antibiotic resistance, and DNA manipulation. Companies just like yours have access to the talented minds and research power of the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health through its Office of Industry Engagement.

Wisconsin has always been forward-thinking when it comes to the environment. In fact, Earth Day was founded here back in 1970 by our former governor, Gaylord Nelson. Our commitment remains strong today, as the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) studies the connection between human action and the state of our planet. SAGE brings together researchers from the natural, health, and social sciences, as well as engineering and other fields, to study problems stemming from interactions among environmental systems, natural resources, and human activity and to inform technology and policy solutions. Their discoveries help to shape decision-making and public policy with the goal of sustaining Earth’s natural resources. Their research also shapes curricula at UW-Madison, preparing the next generation of environmental leaders.

Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) brings together scientists, clinicians, students, and the community to address health care and societal challenges. MCW conducts laboratory research, clinical studies, and community-based research and consults with local, national, and global innovators in its pursuit of life-changing advancements. Not only is Froedtert & MCW responsible for training more than 50% of Wisconsin’s doctors, but those doctors enter the field with a research mindset and leading-edge skills in a range of specialties from cancer care to immunology and transplants.

UW-Milwaukee (UWM) and its Office of Research facilitate discoveries and advance innovation by supporting research across the sciences, arts, and humanities. UWM offers more than 100 graduate programs in research and engages 50% of its undergrads in its research efforts. The depth and breadth of its research activity have earned UWM a coveted R1 status in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, spotlighting it as one of the nation’s top research universities. In several fields, UWM is the leading source of Ph.D.-trained workers in Wisconsin, and its renowned School of Freshwater Science and School of Public Health are preparing the next generation to tackle the issues at the forefront of life on this planet.

The Water Council is one of just six global water hubs in the world and the only one of its kind in the U.S. It’s headquartered in the Global Water Center—one of the most concentrated water technology clusters in the world—located on the Great Lakes in Milwaukee. This state-of-the-art water business and research facility is home to nearly 20 water-focused businesses, startups, and academic and research organizations. The members of its Water Equipment and Policy Center (WEP) fund pre-competitive research to advance materials, sensors and devices, systems, and policy. WEP’s industry members have access to world-renowned academic scientists who are pursuing research that addresses their critical business challenges. WEP industry members also have royalty-free access to the intellectual property resulting from that research and can license breakthrough technologies that drive innovation and competitive advantage for their companies.

In 2023, Wisconsin was designated a Regional Technology Hub by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, a testament to our leadership in biohealth technology and personalized medicine. A major focus of the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub will be personalized medicine, in which a patient’s unique genetic code, medical record, and environmental conditions inform the tests, treatments, and therapies recommended for them. The Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub brings together educational institutions, biohealth companies, precision manufacturers, investors, and other key players to share resources and knowledge, accelerate innovation, and advance promising treatments to improve patients’ lives.

Wisconsin is all about forward thinking. There’s no better evidence than Governor Evers’ Task Forces: the Green Ribbon Commission and the Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence. The Green Ribbon Commission on Clean Energy and Environmental Innovation will advise on the creation of a Green Innovation Fund. This fund and its partners will leverage public and private financing to propel bold and urgent solutions to the climate crisis and position Wisconsin as a leader in clean energy technology. The Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence has assembled 30 private and public sector leaders to identify policies and investments that will continue to guide Wisconsin workers, employers, and job seekers through this technological transformation.