The mission of the Medical Innovation Office is to improve health care for patients and serve the interests of the University of Wisconsin and the state by:

  • Identifying promising technologies developed in the university’s laboratories

  • Guiding and funding development of these technologies to increase their commercialization potential

  • Establishing partnerships among industry, faculty and clinicians

  • Fostering new ventures based on portfolio technologies

The office aims to accelerate the development of medical device, diagnostics and biotechnologies that have significant commercial potential. The Medical Innovation Office is an arm of the University’s D2P (Development to Product) Initiative and is located in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering. The aims and mission of our office are closely aligned with the Morgridge Institute for Research.

The program is supported by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, the College of Engineering, the School of Medicine and Public Health, WARF and the Graduate School.

The program comprises these elements:

Technology Assessment

We continually scout the UW campus, the WARF IP portfolio, and other programs (e.g. ICTR, IEDR, and TIF) for appropriate technologies. Faculty and clinicians are also encouraged to meet with our office at any time to discuss their technologies and their suitability for the program.

We assess technologies in the following areas:

  • Technology status

  • Reviews by outside experts

  • Commercial opportunity

  • Intellectual property review

  • Regulatory review

  • Market and competitor analysis

  • Gap analysis (identifying likely gaps or risks in the technology’s current status)

Pre-commercial Development Funding

Pre-commercial development funding is available for technologies that have progressed on a commercial path beyond the point where traditional research funding sources are appropriate but have not yet reached the point where they are fully commercially viable. An example would be where feasibility has been demonstrated by an academic prototype but funding is required to develop a commercial grade prototype. Funding is provided to complete a focused, milestone-based, development plan. This may include completing key validation experiments or clinical studies, improving technology robustness, enhancing intellectual property, improving manufacturability, or building working prototypes. In this way, the program aims to meet commercial requirements and reduce technical risk in order to improve the economic incentive for a third party to license the technology.

Business Development

We act as a liaison between faculty, industry and investors to help faculty better understand their technology’s core benefits, value proposition, and operational requirements. These interactions provide crucial voice-of-customer input and direction on a technology’s potential and current gaps. They also serve as “first look” opportunities for companies and investors.

We also provide an array of services and connect with several outside resources to ensure a robust development program for emerging technologies.

More information is available on our New Ventures webpage for venture partners.

Collaborations

To achieve our mission, we work closely with:

  1. Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)

  2. Morgridge Institute for Research (MIR)

  3. Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic (L&E Clinic)

  4. Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

  5. Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship

  6. Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR)

  7. Office of Corporate Relations (OCR)