Grants fund UW technology projects on the road to commercialization

Aug. 15, 2014

A coordination-retraining device was awarded first-round funding from the universitys Discovery to Product program. One key step to commercialization will be to test the device with stroke patients with varying levels of disability.

Photo: Kreg Gruben

An exercise machine that helps stroke victims walk. An advanced technology for assessing the progress of prostate cancer. A faster process for making neural stem cells to investigate new treatments for injury and disease. A cheaper, more beautiful LED light bulb. A game to teach meditation.

These projects, and a dozen more, are beneficiaries of the first round of awards by the University of Wisconsin-Madisons Discovery to Product, or D2P, program, which began operating in March. The 17 grants announced this week will support innovations in many fields of research at the university, from food engineering and medicine to stem cell biology and biomedical engineering.

None have yet reached the company stage. All have proven technology. And all have the potential to advance quickly to the market, says John Biondi, director of D2P. Our goal is to achieve commercialization by June 2015, defined as reaching a licensing agreement or creating a startup company that has a high probability of getting funded.

A new technology to create large quantities of nerve cells is also being funded by D2P.

Photo: Jeff Miller

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Grants fund UW technology projects on the road to commercialization