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Leaders’ Message

Sept. 10, 2007

Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to update you about a major change coming to our campus landscape that will forever enhance the culture of research and learning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The 1300 block of University Avenue, the partial triangle between Randall and Orchard streets, will begin a transformation this year as the twin interdisciplinary Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and Morgridge Institute for Research begin to rise in the heart of the UW-Madison campus.

To help inform the campus community, we are holding UW town hall meetings to launch our “Countdown to Discovery” for the institutes. At the meetings, we will share:

• models and descriptions of the institutes’ innovative architectural design
• details about their development as a national model unique among world-class research institutions
• building goals for environmental sustainability, facility changeability and lean delivery
• information about the vision for the Institutes for Discovery.

Please register at http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu (select Catalog from the top navigation, then Special Event) for one of the UW town hall meetings being held Oct. 1, 8 or 10 from 4-5 p.m. and followed by a campus reception.

The Project

Since 2005, the institutes have been a vision of UW alumni John and Tashia Morgridge, Gov. Jim Doyle, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and a team of collaborative UW colleagues. This coming spring, their vision — to create a research environment to foster collaboration across scientific disciplines that will result in breakthrough discoveries — will come to life. Construction soon will begin on an exciting research and learning hub designed to foster a new human collaborative research culture.

At the campus crossroads of Engineering, Microbial Sciences, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Genetics/Biotechnology, Medical Sciences, Computer Sciences and the proposed South Campus Union, the location and design of the institutes are intended to create a vibrant, flexible and inviting environment. This environment, we hope, will foster impromptu meetings among scientists, whose interactions evolve into new research alliances, ideas and breakthrough discoveries.

The Promise

Offering access to the best of public and private resources, the institutes have been conceived to attract and retain additional world-class scientific talent at UW-Madison and to be driven by a passion for making discoveries that improve the world. They will enhance our national model of research excellence to ensure UW-Madison remains competitive with other major private and public research universities, particularly in light of declining federal and state university research funding.

Started with a bold vision by Gov. Jim Doyle and a funding commitment from the state of Wisconsin, John and Tashia Morgridge matched the state’s funding with a generous gift of $50 million, which was further matched by WARF. This combination of public and private funds has resulted in the unique structure of the institutes: one public — the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery — and one private — the Morgridge Institute for Research. Together they will exist and collaborate under the umbrella name of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.

Our Progress

During the past 18 months, a project team has been working steadily with colleagues across campus and the nation, as well as with local entrepreneurs and business leaders, to turn the vision of the institutes into reality. Here are a few examples of the team’s work:

• During fall 2006, the architectural team of Ballinger of Philadelphia and Uilhein Wilson Architects of Milwaukee was hired to design the institutes. In January 2007, Findorff Mortenson joined this team. A primary reason for this team’s selection was its deep commitment to education and stewardship of natural resources. The team is led by a campus-based building committee.
• During spring 2006, the Morgridge Institute for Research funded a $3 million campuswide Discovery Seed Grant competition to inspire researchers to collaborate in addressing some of the toughest human health and welfare problems. The program attracted interest from more than 100 departments. In February, eight projects involving more than 60 faculty and staff researchers from 25 departments were selected for awards.
• More than a dozen focus groups, town hall meetings and informal discussions have been facilitated to ensure the building design process is inspired and informed by the insights of faculty and staff from departments across campus, from art to zoology, as well as local business leaders.

Learn more about the institutes and stay updated on their progress by visiting http://www.discovery.wisc.edu. Through their breakthrough opening in 2010, we are encouraging a continuous dialogue with our colleagues across campus on the promise and potential of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Please mark your calendars and register today to attend one of our upcoming town hall meetings.

Sincerely,