The Wisconsin Forward Agriculture project, which recently advanced in a federal innovation funding program, will tap industry expertise to improve the commercial viability of research in the state.
The project hinges on the concept of “use-inspired research,” a model for bringing together academics, state government, businesses and others to support research with clear real-world applications. Arjun Sanga, president of project lead WiSys, says “it’s about bringing businesses and industry to the table on the front end” of efforts to develop new technologies or solutions.
Project partners this week announced the National Science Foundation has selected Wisconsin’s plan for a full proposal submission under the Regional Innovation Engines program. Due in February, the proposal will outline elements of the project and how participating organizations will help make it a reality.
If successful, the effort could land up to $160 million in total funding over a 10-year period, supporting a wide range of activities focused on agriculture. Goals include translating practical research, growing the workforce and boosting tech startups, as well as identifying future workforce needs for the farming industry.
“February seems like it’s a long distance away, but it really isn’t in terms of pulling together all the parts of a full proposal that we need to show the National Science Foundation that we have all the capabilities to execute an engine that could be transformative for Wisconsin,” Sanga said in an interview.
He added: “It’s our topic, right? We’re the dairy state, and we should own it. We believe that we could be a global leader in resilient agricultural practices. So we’re using this to think about, what’s that next generation for agriculture? How are we thinking about the challenges ahead?”
After reviewing the February proposals, the NSF will conduct virtual site visits likely followed by in-person site visits for finalist projects, Sanga said. He expects a decision on initial funding to be made by the end of 2025 or early 2026, though later rounds of funding will be spread over a longer period.
The agency will first award the initial two years of the grant, which would be $15 million in federal funds. After a review following those two years, the NSF will decide on renewing projects for another three years, before a third review covering the final five years of the project timeline. The overall funding total would be split over those segments of the project, according to Sanga.
He touted the $40 million in financial commitments from project partners, noting that support will be key to convincing the NSF of Wisconsin’s readiness to deliver on the project’s potential.
“At the end of the 10 years, this money is a catalyst, right? So how are we showing that all of our partners in Wisconsin are committed to this process, and will continue to support it beyond the 10 years,” he said.
Sanga also tied the broad project to WiSys’ existing VentureHome network, which the organization launched to establish “startup hubs” in communities where Universities of Wisconsin regional schools are located.
“The idea is, that each VentureHome’s physical space in the community … entrepreneurs can come to to get connected to our universities and our intellectual property portfolio, but also get connected to the resources they might need to build a company,” he said.
While Madison and Milwaukee have more well-established entrepreneurship support, Sanga noted other parts of the state don’t have that framework. Underpinning this network, WiSys is building a “digital community” to connect startup founders in places like Oshkosh, Eau Claire and elsewhere.
“In that way, we’re trying to connect the entire region, both physically and digitally, to be able to make this regional engine work,” he said.
See more in this week’s announcement.
