WARF Accelerator: Industry-academic collaborations go virtual

MADISON, Wis. – As university labs across the world wrestle with setbacks due to COVID-19, several teams of UW–Madison researchers had the opportunity to interface with leading industry mentors thanks to WARF Accelerator.

The sessions, held virtually over three days (April 22-23, May 1), included multidisciplinary project proposals at the intersection of agriculture and nanotechnology, medicine and machine learning, and more.

“Scientific progress at UW–Madison continues despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Greg Keenan, head of WARF Accelerator. “Many labs are temporarily closed but the work goes forward. WARF Accelerator is proud to provide our participants the opportunity to present and receive feedback from our network of industry advisors known as ‘Catalysts.’ These include executives of Fortune 500 companies, R&D directors, venture capitalists and other seasoned technologists.”

Since its launch in 2009, WARF Accelerator has helped inventors advance commercially promising technologies closer to the marketplace. Through targeted funding and mentorship, the program has to date produced 43 revenue generating agreements, 15 startups and $6.5 of follow-on funding for every dollar invested.

Projects ran the spectrum, from improving airport security, to tackling chronic disease, to supporting Wisconsin’s hemp producers. Each team received feedback on the technical and commercial aspects of their proposals.

Visit WARF Accelerator to learn more about the program and the projects it supports.