Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (University of Wisconsin)

WARF: A Leader in Technology Transfer Since 1925

Since its founding in 1925, WARF has served the University of Wisconsin-Madison scientific community by patenting the discoveries of UW-Madison researchers and licensing these technologies to leading companies in Wisconsin, the United States and worldwide. In this way, WARF also facilitates the use of UW-Madison research for the maximum benefit of society.

WARF distributes the income from commercial licenses to UW-Madison, the inventors and their departments. Each year, WARF contributes over $50 million to fund additional UW-Madison research. The university refers to WARF’s annual gifts as its “margin of excellence” funding.