School:University of Wisconsin - Madison

Overview

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The University of Wisconsin - Madison is a Big Ten Research University located in the heart of the homey midwest. With 30,000+ undergraduate students, 9,000 graduate students, and a faculty and staff of 16,000, UW is a large, thriving campus with individual colleges. The university was founded on the Wisconsin Idea, forever forward and innovative. As such, the campus features many resources for innovation and design on campus and is known for its landmark discoveries in various fields.

Student Entrepreneurship

The University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great place for students who want a chance to incorporate entrepreneurship into their future careers. The Weinert Center for Entrepreneurshipwas created to put emphasis on teaching, research, and service pertaining to entrepreneurial management and start-up development. Students in the Wisconsin School of Business (WSoB) also have the opportunity topursue an Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Major. For students inside and outside of the WSoB, there is an Undergraduate Certificate for Entrepreneurship.

Other Entrepreneurial resources include:

Among these resources, there are also a variety of student organizations that support and encourage entrepreneurship among the student body. Examples of such student organizations include:

Faculty Innovation and Entrepreneurship

University faculty have always had a long history of innovation and entrepreneurship, from the discovery of the stem cell to being ranked high in the list of universities that produce top CEOs. UW - Madison faculty consistently show that they are committed to the Wisconsin Idea - perpetuating the use of education for public good inside and outside the classroom. This can also be seen in the wide range of courses that incorporate innovation, entrepreneurship, and design thinking. Arguably the entire campus, ranging from the College of Engineering to the School of Human Ecology, is invested in educating students in innovation and design thinking.

University Technology Transfer Function

Although UW does not have an office to directly address Technology Transfers, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation offers aid in licensing technologies and the Office of Corporate Relations suggests working through their offerings.

University - Industry Collaboration

The University of Wisconsin - Madison maintains strong ties to both local and international businesses. As the major college in the very loyal state of Wisconsin, the university is a sought after collaborator for numerous industries.The Office of Corporate Relations (OCR) works to understand unique business needs and connect businesses with the resources, expertise, and cutting-edge technology available at the university as well as inviting industry professionals to campus to boost company presence. Because gener8tor, a nationally-ranked accelerator, is just down the road from campus, there is an increasing synergy between entrepreneurial-minded students and the company’s programs. There is also a relatively new office known as the Office of Industrial Partnerships within the Graduate School to help negotiate research contracts in response to a growing number of collaborations with researchers and the private sector. Undergraduate students also have the opportunity to work in collaboration with companies and nonprofit organizations in the classroom to solve respective problems commonly referred to as experiential learning or high impact practice.

Regional and Local Economic Development

The Office of Economic Development offers a connection between local industry and the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial energy of the UW school system. This fosters job growth in the community and makes it easier for UW system students to network with local businesses. This system is one of Wisconsin's largest economic development assets and proves very useful to the students and surrounding businesses.