Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Strengthening UW-Madison with a Century of Support

At WARF, we believe that true impact is born from collaboration. For 100 years, we’ve been building bridges between the brilliant minds at UW-Madison and industry leaders worldwide, fostering the connections that turn groundbreaking ideas into real-world solutions. With a network of over 500 global partners, we nurture the journey from lab to market, driving advancements in everything from biohealth and personalized medicine to agriculture and computer science. As we celebrate our centennial, we remain dedicated to fueling innovation and shaping a brighter future, together.

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A Century of Achievements

Explore a century of innovation with our interactive timeline, highlighting WARF’s most
transformative moments and key milestones in scientific advancement.

  • 1996

    INVENTIONS

    Ever wonder how vitamin D got in your milk? Or how we can swallow pills? WARF inventions have a surprising history of improving everyday life. Dive in and discover how we have changed the world!

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  • 1928

    GRANTS

    WARF has invested over $4.5 billion in UW-Madison research, but our impact goes beyond the lab. From researcher support to iconic campus landmarks, explore how WARF fuels a thriving university…

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  • An archived magazine page with the headline "The Wonders of the Wisconsin Dells."
    1954

    MILESTONES

    WARF’s 100-year history is full of unexpected twists. From saving the Wisconsin Dells to Nobel Prize winners, supporting the vision of Aldo Leopold and pioneering stem cell research, learn more about how we broke the mold…

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Together Beyond 100

A collective greater than the sum of its parts. We certainly didn’t make it to 100 alone. We made it together.

Here we look ahead at the next frontier of research and how WARF is poised to drive the future of discovery and innovation for the next 100 years.

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Centennial News & Updates

Keep up with the latest centennial news & events throughout the year to commemorate 100 years of fostering scientific discovery and innovation.

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Erik Iverson is shepherding 100 years of innovation
Erik Iverson is shepherding 100 years of innovation

As the CEO of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Iverson is the head of a nonprofit that brings cutting-edge discoveries to the market. For someone with no formal science or medical…

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WisBusiness: the Podcast with Erik Iverson, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
WisBusiness: the Podcast with Erik Iverson, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Erik Iverson, CEO of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. WARF this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary, putting a spotlight on…

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12 UW-Madison inventions that changed the world
12 UW-Madison inventions that changed the world

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, known for helping UW-Madison commercialize discoveries such as vitamin D enrichment, a blood thinning drug and stem cells, may seem like a solid presence on…

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