Contact:
Milwaukee Institute
Gregory A. Gapinski
414-727-6411
ggapinski@mkei.org
WEDC
Mark Maley
608-210-6767
mark.maley@wedc.org
WEDC, Milwaukee Institute Announce Grant Winners
Milwaukee, WI – (February 18, 2014) – The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and Milwaukee Institute today announced the winners of its 2014 Computational Science Challenge Grants designed to accelerate product development and research utilizing Wisconsin’s very own high-performance computing (HPC) and storage resources.
Grant awardee companies are: Oilgear, Milwaukee; Metamodeling, Madison; Helionx, Middleton; H20score, Milwaukee; Dedicated Computing, Waukesha; and Microbe Detectives, Milwaukee.
Grant monies awarded ranged from $10,000 to $50,000 and were based on the complexity and scale of each project.
The Milwaukee Institute, a non‐profit, public service organization, received matching grants of $250,000 each from WEDC and Mason Wells, a local private equity management firm, to fund the one-year program, the first of its kind in Wisconsin.
It is anticipated that some of the projects include speeding the development of a neutron radiography camera, FEA/CFD testing of a hydraulically powered pumping system for fracking, as well as a DNA-based microbial analysis system for water.
The initiative is expected to promote high-tech job growth in the state by accelerating the Institute’s long-term commitment to developing a statewide center of excellence in applied computational science, high-performance computing and mass data storage applications.
“We received numerous compelling applications for the grants and I’m excited that the Institute will play a critical role in getting some of the winners closer to full commercialization,” said Milwaukee Institute Executive Director Jay Bayne.
The Institute’s recently upgraded HPC cluster is the largest publicly accessible supercomputing resource of its kind in Wisconsin and allows users to simulate, model, visualize and analyze complex applications used in product development, engineering, research and other projects.
Under the grant terms, each company is expected to complete its project by year’s end. The award amount will cover the Institute’s costs for providing HPC resources and any associated professional services or technical support required.
An award ceremony and kickoff event will take place February 25 at the Milwaukee offices of Mason Wells.
“We join the Milwaukee Institute in congratulating the grant recipients and are looking forward to seeing what innovation will take place now that these companies have access to the Institute’s specialized computing services,” said Reed Hall, secretary and CEO of WEDC.
About Milwaukee Institute
Founded in 2007, the Milwaukee Institute is a non-profit computational research center dedicated to promoting and providing a regional technical computing cyber-infrastructure that encourages and enables innovation within and among academic and commercial organizations. Members of the Institute have access to modeling, simulation and visualization tools for development of new products and services, for exploration and discovery using computational science, and in analyzing very large datasets.
The Institute encourages cooperation between organizations and across multiple disciplines that seek solutions to “grand challenge” problems in such diverse fields as health care, energy production and distribution, advanced manufacturing, financial services, economics and natural resource management. The Milwaukee Institute is headquartered at 411 E. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1280, Milwaukee, WI 53202. For more information, visit www.mkei.org or contact info@mkei.org; 414-727-6424.
About the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), formed in 2011 as a public-private entity, leads economic development efforts for the state and nurtures business growth and job creation by advancing Wisconsin’s business climate. In addition to Wisconsin’s strong legacy industries of agriculture and manufacturing, recent growth has occurred in water technology, renewable energy, bio-sciences, health care, and food processing. In 2012 Wisconsin was ranked No. 20 in Chief Executive Magazine’s “Best States for Business” and No. 17 as a top state for business by CNBC. WEDC partners with 650 economic development organizations throughout Wisconsin to serve businesses looking to start, grow or relocate. WEDC has four focus areas: business and industry development, economic and community development, entrepreneurship and innovation, and international business development.
