Everyone thought the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company was crazy. It was 1858 and energy was a solved problem. Mountains of coal powered the industrial revolution and lamps lit by clean-burning whale oil unlocked evening hours …
Stories
UW-Madison spinoff Type One Energy achieves milestone for fusion power plant
University of Wisconsin-Madison spinoff company Type One Energy has published a comprehensive and robust physics basis for a practical fusion pilot power plant. The advance is an important and promising milestone that brings fusion power …
A century of leadership: The WARF Board’s evolving role in advancing innovation
As the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) celebrates its 100th anniversary, we find ourselves reflecting on the profound impact this unique organization has had—not just on the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but on industries and communities …
$700,000 in state matching grants advance 8 innovative small businesses
Eight small businesses in Wisconsin will receive up to $700,000 to commercialize their innovations, thanks to the SBIR Advance program’s latest round of funding. The state matching grant program provides assistance to companies in the …
SLAC and Wisconsin-Madison scientists develop an attosecond atomic x-ray laser
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory(at Stanford University), and others have created what they describe as “the first attosecond atomic x-ray laser”. In a new study …
PharmD Students, Emerging Entrepreneurs
About 200 million inhalers are dispensed per year, in the U.S. alone — enough to fill about 300 school buses. “The majority of inhalers end up in a landfill because they’re either recycled inappropriately or …
Three scientists share Industry and Entrepreneurship award for startup efforts
Phenolvation seeks to commercialize plant-based painkillers and other products: Abundant but chemically complex, lignin has long been one of the biggest challenges in the quest to produce economically viable plant-based fuels. Now an enterprising group …
UW–Madison research helps launch first FDA-cleared blood test for Alzheimer’s disease
In a crucial advancement for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted clearance for an Alzheimer’s disease blood test on May 16, 2025. The test is an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) …
Exact Sciences’ Conroy: University research made Cologuard possible
Exact Sciences Corp. Chairman and CEO Kevin Conroy delivered a message about the company’s scientific and business journey Thursday, describing it as an evolution that may not have happened without federally funded university research. Conroy, …
Archeus Technologies, WARF launching clinical trial this year for cancer targeting molecule
Archeus Technologies in Madison and WARF are launching a clinical trial this year for a targeting molecule used in treating prostate cancer. The organizations yesterday announced the plans to further develop ART-101, a receptor-based targeting …