Better, Forward and Greater
From the end of the federal fiscal year 2020 to 2022, the university saw a nearly 37% increase in research expenditures from business, rising from $29.6 million to $40.5 million. That same period saw our campus and community rally together in response to expansive development opportunities, such as the NSF Engines and EDA Tech Hub programs. By stepping outside our respective comfort zones, we built diverse, competitive public-private partnership proposals which netted impressive results, notably the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub designation and $49 million in funding from the EDA.
In fiscal year 2024, OBE’s more than 50 distinct industry engagements netted over $8 million in value-generation for campus. In addition to three consecutive years of cumulative growth in value-generation, we have seen several multifaceted partnerships flourish. Among those, our partnerships with American Family Insurance, GE HealthCare and Kohler, all featured in this report, have led to technology innovations, advances in education and workforce training, and significant charitable contributions to our campus community and beyond. Of course, such comprehensive partnership is only possible through the efforts and collaboration of our colleagues across UW–Madison’s vast campus and our partners at affiliated organizations, such as WARF, WFAA, and University Research Park.
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Our Team
The OBE team works closely with industry partners to understand relevant interests and needs, to bring together contacts and experts from across campus and to develop strategies for a successful business relationship.
SARA BRAAS
Associate Director
Sara is a graduate of UW–Madison School of Business and has her master’s degree in Public Policy from University of Southern California. She spent 15 years working in sales operations and marketing for multinational corporations before moving into the academic sphere.
"I enjoy my work because it is so dynamic. I literally learn something new every day, whether it be the specific application of a technology or a futuristic plot to solve a global problem."
NIKKI JAVUREK
Business Engagement Manager
Nikki is a graduate of the University of Washington (the other UW!) with more than 15 years of building relationships, strategic engagement with stakeholders, and supporting partnerships and collaborations.
"I love being able to find strategic ways to bring together industry and academia tobuild holistic relationships that support growth and opportunities on both sides of the equation."
STEPHANIE FURLONG
Strategic Initiatives Manager
Stephanie is a Rowan University graduate and is pursuing a master’s degree from Adler University. Stephanie has been working in higher education for over 15 years and has held various campus administrator positions at Stanford University, the University of San Diego, and now UW–Madison.
"What I like most about my work is meeting the many amazing faculty, staff and students on campus."
MELISSA SIMON
Business Engagement Manager
Melissa earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from UW–Madison and a master’s in business administration from Globe University. She joined UW–Madison in 2014 with the Wisconsin School of Business building and managing strategic corporate partnerships before joining OBE in 2016.
"My favorite part of my job working with campus and industry partners is helping identify mutual beneficial opportunities for collaboration and impact."
UW–Madison at a Glance
#1
National Public University
(Washington Monthly, 2024)
50,633
undergrad, graduate and professional students from all 50 states and 123 countries
(fall 2023)
$30.8B
annual economic impact in Wisconsin
$1.52B
research expenditures in 2022
(NSF HERD Survey, 2023)
40+
UW–Madison programs in the top 10 nationally
(U.S. News & World Report, 2022-23)
"We have a lot to be proud of. My job — our job — is to make this institution even a step stronger — by building on this excellence and also by thinking in big, bold ways about where we can take a quantum leap forward to serve this state and the world on a whole new level."
Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin in her February 2024 address to the UW Board of Regents
Engaging Industry Across Campus
$150M+
Corporate Investment on Campus
(2022)
50+
distinct industry engagements generated, cultivated, or managed by OBE
(fiscal year 2024)
240+
industry connections created campus-wide in its role as the ‘front door to campus’ for industry
(2024)
$8.26M
value of contributions to campus directly from OBE industry engagements
(fiscal year 2024)
37%
increase in research expenditures from business from FY20 to FY22, rising from $29.6 million to $40.5 million
(NSF HERD Survey, 2023)
3
consecutive years of growth in OBE partner contributions to campus
(fiscal year 2021-24)
Special Initiatives
As a conduit between businesses and the university, the OBE team endeavors to understand the landscape of both academia and industry, helping to identify key focus areas of shared interest. We then help foster collaboration and connection in those areas that will lead to thoughtful, impactful investment for both our industry and university partners, addressing some of the grand challenges our society faces.
FOCUS AREAS
AI/DATA SCIENCE |
SUSTAINABILITY |
BIOHEALTH |
CAMPUS NETWORKS
OBE delights in bringing together industry engagement professionals from across UW–Madison through events and campus professional networks, such as the Industry Engagement Collaborative.
‘ONE UW–MADISON’ APPROACH
OBE follows an “identify, investigate, implement & improve” model to build mutually beneficial partnerships with companies which reach across the university. Corporate engagement with campus falls into five broad areas—strategic investment, access to talent, professional development, technology solutions and sponsored research. While many companies have intensive engagement in one or two areas, several companies engage with the campus in all five areas through multi-faceted, strategic partnerships.
GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
In fall 2023, Managing Director John Garnetti traveled to Japan to present UW–Madison offerings to Japanese businesses, government and research organizations at the invitation of JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization). Following-up on the visit, OBE helped organize a three-day exploration of campus for more than 25 Japanese industry representatives in the summer of 2024. These efforts are strengthening university and regional connections with Japan, fostering new opportunities for collaboration.
AN ICONIC WISCONSIN PARTNERSHIP
Founded in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1873, Kohler Co. has become an iconic Wisconsin-based company, providing exceptional products and services for over 150 years. The relationship between Kohler and UW–Madison dates to 1919 when Walter Kohler Sr. served as president of UW–Madison’s board of regents. Over time, the relationship has grown to include generous donations to different UW schools and colleges, joint projects and the hiring of many UW–Madison graduates.
195
Badger alumni are currently working for Kohler company
$3M
in contributions to UW–Madison since 1984
$20K
in annual scholarships to the College of Engineering
We have found the leadership of the Office of Business Engagement to be a key enabler of a re-energized partnership with UW–Madison. The university has demonstrated its depth of both talent and willingness to find unique new ways of working together and. supporting Kohler Company.
Lowell Lampen, Director of Engineering, Kohler Company
SUSTAINABILITY
Beginning in early 2023, UW–Madison identified a growing opportunity for proactive engagement with industry on the topic of sustainability. As companies face new legislative and regulatory challenges in environmental sustainability, as well as increasing consumer demands to address these issues, there is growing opportunity for connection and collaboration across industries and sectors. To increase communication between industry and the university around these opportunities and challenges, UW–Madison created the Business Sustainability Leadership Forum (BSLF). Led by the Office of Business Engagement and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, BSLF brings together major companies with ties to Wisconsin, UW–Madison faculty across all schools and colleges, government officials, Universities of Wisconsin staff and the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. These leaders, who have a sustainability-focused role within their organizations, have come together to tackle their challenges and look for novel solutions in a pre-competitive environment.
MULTIFACETED, DECADES-LONG PARTNERHIP
UW–Madison and American Family Insurance have built a partnership based on innovation, collaboration and mutual benefit. Core objectives of the partnership include accelerating knowledge exchange and relevant research; advancing talent development and student opportunity; improving communities; and facilitating high-impact branding.
Over the past 10-year agreement period, a joint steering committee has overseen management and coordination, receiving guidance from joint work teams that assess the status and impact of ongoing activities and identify future opportunities. That oversight has led to the development of six verticals that drive investments, actions, outputs, and outcomes, tying action to results. Collaboration and coordination between the two institutions has grown each year and plans for continued partnership are in ongoing development.
500+
Badger alumni employed
$50M+
in support over 10 years
$20M
support for data science
Working with the Office of Business Engagement provides American Family with a single point of contact at UW–Madison, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in our holistic partnership with campus. As American Family renews our expansive, decades-long connection to the university, OBE helps ensure our work together meets the diverse and evolving needs of both organizations, leading to greater innovation and impact.
Matthew Mayrl, Vice President for Strategy Performance & Partnerships, American Family Insurance
AI & DATA SCIENCE
Artificial intelligence and data science are rapidly evolving fields
that can bring unprecedented innovation and discovery. They also present new questions and challenges for businesses. OBE works to connect companies to experts who help them stay on the forefront of new technology and innovation. OBE also helps companies engage with resources on campus for addressing complex data problems, connecting companies to faculty and expertise from across campus who can take enterprises to the next level.
Photo courtesy of the Data Science Institute.
AN INNOVATIVE RESEARCH COLLABORATION
For more than sixty years, GE HealthCare and UW–Madison have benefited from a successful and vibrant collaboration that combines a mutual dedication to positive impact on the world around us. In 2023, GE HealthCare and Department of Radiology within the School of Medicine and Public Health announced a 10-year strategic collaboration that expands the existing scope of partnership beyond medical imaging to new frontiers in digital technologies and disease-focused solutions.
In 2024, GE HealthCare became a founding member of the N+1 Institute.
250+
Badger alumni are GE HealthCare employees
$32.9M
10-year collaborative project grant to SMPH
(2012-2023)
80+
funded research projects
“Our enduring relationship with GE HealthCare has led to advanced clinical technologies as a result of research that we have also seamlessly translated from benchtop to bedside and deployed in real-world clinical settings. Technology will continue to play an important role in providing the best care possible for patients. With our shared goals of improving experiences for patients and cultivating more personalized care, the work of our combined teams has the potential to impact many patients around the world for years to come.”
Thomas Grist, MD, FACR, former Chair, Department of Radiology at UW–Madison.
BIOHEALTH
In July 2024, the U.S. Economic Development Administration announced $49 million in Phase 2 funding to the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub, a groundbreaking initiative set to drive transformative medical innovation, workforce development and critical job growth across Wisconsin. UW–Madison is part of the 18-member consortium that helped bring the Tech Hub to fruition and Phase 2 funding will help buildout the personalized medicine and biohealth technology sector in the state, accelerating research and commercialization and strengthening the state’s talent pipeline for the future.
Collaborative, Problem-Solving Partners
RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
UW–Madison is home to one of the largest research enterprises in the nation, and industry partnerships span the institution—from sciences, engineering, medicine, and business to education, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Industry research collaborations are a critical part of this research ecosystem. For companies seeking ways to solve business challenges, create new products, access innovative technology or address process issues, OBE serves as a concierge to university resources, technology and expertise.
TECHNOLOGY LICENSING AND ACCESS
OBE works closely with key campus partners to provide companies access and guidance to UW technology and licensing solutions, helping to find the best path to the solutions they seek.
This year, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research announced Badger IP Industry Advantage, which provides several options for Intellectual Property (IP) licensing tied to sponsored research conducted with industry partners. A collaborative working group, including the Office of Business Engagement, helped to develop the Advantage program, which makes research agreements and associated intellectual property licensing more transparent, simpler, and mostly negotiation-free on fair terms.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) also offers different arrangements, providing access to more than 1,760 WARF-patented technologies.
CUTTING-EDGE FUSION COMPANY BUILT ON PARTNERSHIP
Realta Fusion is an early-stage fusion energy company which spun out of a federally funded research project housed in the UW–Madison Department of Physics. In summer 2024, a public-private partnership project between the university
and Realta Fusion known as WHAM (Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror) successfully generated a world-record setting plasma — a major milestone in fusion energy research.
Connecting Business to Talent, Education and Training
ACCESS TO WORLD CLASS STUDENTS
OBE helps companies engage with UW–Madison’s student body and
thousands of recent graduates, connecting them to career fairs, online portals, and other unique opportunities to elevate visibility with UW–Madison’s skilled candidates. OBE connects industry partners to the schools and colleges that will meet their talent needs and help facilitate connections that lead to unique experiential learning opportunities that bolster industry connections to talent and help UW–Madison students develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
UW–Madison offers a variety of professional education programs and resources for companies and entrepreneurs. OBE helps guide our industry partners to world-class professional development programs, trainings, peer groups, resources, and networking opportunities. UW–Madison has offerings in small business development, farming/agriculture, health care and medicine, business and executive education, engineering and
technology development and more.
12,407
degrees awarded from 2022-23
550+
employers who recruit via UW–Madison career fairs
40+
number of programs ranked in the top 10 nationally
#11
most doctorates awarded among U.S. universities
(2022)
650+
Wisconsin businesses and
organizations benefited from course offerings from Interdisciplinary Professional Programs (InterPro), the UW–Madison College of
Engineering’s advanced training center in FY 2023
236
Wisconsin businesses sent employees to the Center for Professional and Executive Development in the Wisconsin School of Business in FY 2023
80+
member companies from around the globe participate in UWEBC events and peer-to-peer learning
Creating Custom Opportunities for Industry Partners through Strategic Investment
Through philanthropy, strategic investment and other contributions, industry partners enhance the academic experience for students, engage with world-class faculty, elevate innovation, and create alliances. OBE works closely with companies to identify campus opportunities within our schools and colleges ranging from student scholarships to endowed faculty chairs, in-kind equipment, software or programmatic support, and more.
PPG contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to diversity scholarships, speaker series and DEI program development.
The Kemper Foundation champions diversity and inclusion efforts within the Wisconsin School of Business, providing $150K annually in scholarships and $50K annually for the Multicultural Directorship position for the WSB Multicultural Center.
Deloitte Foundation matches contributions from Deloitte US personnel, leading to more than $1.2M in donations over the past 10 years that support many academic purposes, including DEI Scholarship Funds in the School of Computer, Data, & Information Sciences and Wisconsin School of Business.
CELEBRATING 175 YEARS OF IMPACT
In July 2023, UW–Madison launched a year-long celebration of its 175th anniversary. OBE joined the Wisconsin Alumni Association and other campus leaders and partners in recognizing the many partnerships with communities and businesses across Wisconsin and beyond that have helped the university forge a legacy of impact. A state tour has taken OBE to Appleton, Eau Claire, Wausau, Milwaukee, Sheboygan, and Green Bay, with a few more stops planned in summer and fall of 2024.