MILWAUKEE – The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Research Foundation (UWMRF) announced $500,000 in catalyst grant awards made possible by support from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.
The Catalyst Grant Program is designed to provide seed funding for promising research projects at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM) that have strong potential for commercialization and impact on the local economy. Projects are selected based on their scientific excellence as judged by outside experts as well as their commercial potential – including potential for partnerships, intellectual property and start-up companies.
These grants are made possible by a commitment from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, which is supporting the UWM Research Foundation’s efforts to foster research and innovation at UWM with the goal of impacting the regional economy by helping to spawn new businesses and create jobs. “Innovation is the driving force of Milwaukee’s economic growth,” said Michael W. Grebe, President and CEO of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. “We hope to see broad community benefits from the results of these research projects.”
Seven projects were selected to receive a total of $500,000 in funding. The funded projects are:
· Jian Chen – Advanced Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications
· Mary Lynne Collins – Development of a Novel System for Production of Membrane Proteins
· James Cook – Synthesis of Novel Compounds to Treat Alcohol Addiction
· Shaoqin Gong – Development of a Cancer Drug Delivery Molecule
· David Klemer – Development of a Microelectronic DNA Biosensing Device
· Graham Moran – Novel Treatment for Fungal Infections
· Hao Zhang – Development of an Advanced Retinal Imaging System
Colin Scanes, UWM Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, commented, “These projects highlight UWM’s research strengths in several areas – including chemistry, biological sciences, materials and devices: areas that we know are important to regional industrial clusters such as health care, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.”
“There is enormous potential for commercializing the great research being conducted at UWM, and the Research Foundation had a difficult task selecting just a few for funding,” said Brian Thompson, President of the UWM Research Foundation. “But I believe the process has brought forth some of the very best, and we are very appreciative to the Bradley Foundation for helping support this important work.”
This is the second group of projects funded under the Research Foundation’s Catalyst Grant Program. In December 2007, the Research Foundation announced three awards totaling $170,000 made possible by ongoing support from Rockwell Automation.
