MADISON, Wis. – Eight University of Wisconsin System faculty members have received awards through the Applied Research Grant Program, a collaborative effort between UW System and the WiSys Technology Foundation, Inc., to develop commercial applications of their research.

The purpose of the Applied Research Grant program is to provide funding for projects directly enhancing the economic development of the state and to encourage faculty to apply their expertise to problems outside academia, improving connections between knowledge and practice that could potentially promote a stronger Wisconsin economy.

The winners, who will each receive awards up to $50,000 to support their research, include:

  • Nate Bowling, UW-Stevens Point, “Development of Two-Dimensional Metallorganic Networks for Potential Application in Photovoltaics”
  • Junhong Chen, UW-Milwaukee, “Nanoscale Corona Discharges”
  • John Droske, UW-Stevens Point, “Polymers and Copolymers with Controlled Bioresorption for Biomedical Applications”
  • Charles Gibson, UW-Oshkosh, “High Performance Electrical Energy Storage Devices”
  • Cheng-Chen Huang, UW-River Falls, “Screening for Potent Attenuators of Heart Failure Progression Using a Zebrafish Heart Failure Model”
  • Jeri-Anne Lyons, UW-Milwaukee, “A Role for dbl-b E3 Ubiquitin Ligase in the Balance Between Tolerance and Autoimmunity”
  • Jennifer Miskowski, UW-La Crosse, “Development of Microscale Assays to Screen for Novel Anthelmintic Drugs”
  • Joseph (Tsunghsueh) Wu, UW-Platteville, “Toward Industrial-scale Fabrication of Nanowire-based Devices”

The program supports UW System’s Growth Agenda for Wisconsin, by continuing to connect academic research with the private sector to transform ideas into new jobs and new businesses that will attract and employ college-educated workers.

WiSys, based in Madison, plays a key role in evaluating technology or products developed at UW System’s 11 comprehensive institutions and assessing the potential economic impact of those products. WiSys also provides assistance with market studies, patent protection issues, industry or university collaboration, procuring research equipment, and legal agreement advice.

The UW System-funded Applied Research Grant program has been helping UW System researchers develop commercial applications since 1997.

For more information on the UW System, see wisconsin.edu.  For more information on the WiSys Technology Foundation, visit www.wisys.org.

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Media Contacts:

Vijendra Agarwal
UW-La Crosse
608-785-8007

Tom Luljak
UW-Milwaukee
414-229-4035

Jeanette De Diemar
UW-Oshkosh
920-424-3358

Barbara Daus
UW-Platteville
608-342-1282

Kevin Harter
UW-River Falls
715-425-3771

Stephen Ward
UW-Stevens Point
715-346-3046

David Giroux
UW System
608-252-4464

Maliyakal John
WiSys
608-263-2500