University of Wisconsin–Madison Joins the GFCC

The GFCC is proud to welcome the University of Wisconsin–Madison to its global network of universities, committed to sharing competitiveness best practices and advancing innovation worldwide.

Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is a public land-grant research university and the flagship campus of the Universities of Wisconsin system. Its guiding principle, the Wisconsin Idea, holds that a university's education and research should improve people's lives beyond the classroom.

Classified as an R1 Doctoral University for very high research activity, UW–Madison consistently ranks among the top five U.S. universities for annual research expenditures, which now exceed $1.9 billion.

"For more than a century, the University of Wisconsin–Madison has held that a university's work must reach far beyond the campus and into people's lives. That conviction is at the heart of the GFCC's University and Research Leadership Forum initiative and our work in place-making innovation. With nearly $2 billion in annual research, a pioneering technology transfer model in WARF, and strategic investments in AI, clean energy, and health, UW–Madison brings to the GFCC a proven model for turning knowledge into value-creation and prosperity," says GFCC Founder and President Deborah L. Wince-Smith.

Three initiatives connect that research to economic and social outcomes. The Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) pairs strategic faculty hiring with upgraded infrastructure in artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability and clean energy and translational health. The College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence brings computer science, statistics, and the Information under one structure and works directly with regional and global technology partners. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), established in 1925 as the nation's first independent university technology transfer organization, moves campus discoveries to market through licensing, seed capital, and direct investment in UW–Madison startups.

UW–Madison's faculty and alumni include 22 Nobel laureates, 23 Nobel Prizes and 43 Pulitzer Prize winners.

“UW–Madison is honored to be welcomed as a member of the GFCC,” says interim Chancellor Eric M. Wilcots. “As the flagship public university in Wisconsin and one of the nation’s leading research universities, we have long been committed to a fearless sifting and winnowing in pursuit of truth, and to ensuring that the education and research that happens on our campus benefits people beyond our borders, from basic biomedical research that leads to tomorrow’s cures to grappling with some of society’s most complex challenges. We look forward to joining GFCC’s efforts to inform strong collaboration and innovation for the greater good.”