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The University of Wisconsin in Madison is one of the few academic campuses in the world that can provide the "complete package" for transforming a scientific research discovery into a thriving start-up company.
The proof lies in the stories of many new companies that have been spun off at the university. Quintessence Biosciences, which grew out of discoveries of ways to destroy cancer cells, is just one of them.
If you charted the creation and growth of this company and plotted each step on a map, you would find no key player or institution located further than five miles away from where it all began. From a biochemistry lab in the heart of the UW-Madison campus, to the technology transfer office, the incubator facility, the expertise of the Business School and faculty—all University affiliated—the distance is negligible. There is a tight-knit infrastructure provided by the UW-Madison that has grown and flourished to a point that it is now feeding the business world.
More than 100 thriving start-up companies now call the University Research Park (URP) its home. Since its creation 20 years ago, URP has provided space (for laboratories and offices), personnel, and the critical guidance and support in all matters pertaining to finance, development and expansion. Including its signature incubator facility—the MGE Innovation Center—URP is comprised of 34 buildings and has been deeded over 250 acres of land. The Innovation Center alone boasts 117,000 square feet of space that includes 33 office suites, 42 laboratories and 9 conference rooms.
| Park Feature | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Number of Tenants | 107 |
| Number of Employees | 4,000 |
| Average Annual Salary | $60,000 |
| Number of US and Foreign Patents Held by RP Companies | Over 350 |
| Acres Occupied by Park | 170 |
| Available Acres | 23 |
| Square Feet Occupied (or under Construction) | 1,489,000 |
| Park Values (Buildings and Developed Land) | $155,755,200 |