Intellectual Property

UW–Madison is a world-class research institution that creates knowledge and distributes it broadly to the betterment of human kind. Every year, UW-Madison researchers, including faculty, staff and students, generate hundreds of inventions with potential great benefit to society.

UW researchers have an obligation to disclose inventions created while carrying out their university duties, using any university funding, or using university premises, supplies, or equipment. The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education is responsible for evaluating UW–Madison invention disclosure to determine who may have rights to the invention as laid out by federal rules, contracts, or other obligations. In some cases, UW-Madison inventors may retain rights to their inventions or petition the federal government to obtain these rights.

Through their patenting and licensing efforts, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF, our designated intellectual property management organization), provides royalty payments to UW-Madison inventors and also provides generous support to the campus and its many programs.

To learn more visit our invention disclosure page.

Discovery to Product provides support for commercializing IP. Discovery to Product (D2P) is a unit within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education that provides mentoring, entrepreneurial education, and resource connections to help campus innovators bring ideas from the university to the global marketplace. D2P canvasses the university to identify technologies with commercial potential and helps connect faculty, staff, and student innovators with the right resources at the right time, coordinating with the wide array of university and community entities that provide entrepreneurial assistance. With partners in the Innovate Network, D2P is working to develop a culture of entrepreneurship on campus and support the growth of the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.