Frequently Asked Questions

The partnership involves a $50 million donation from UW–Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge and a matching gift from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, as well as $50 million in approved state funding. The goal is to establish a public institute – the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery – and a private institute – the Morgridge Institute for Research – that will work collaboratively.

This location is near the heart of the campus’s urban neighborhood and is close to related sciences. The site is within two blocks of the buildings that house biochemistry, physics, medical sciences research, the Genetics-Biotechnology Center, engineering, computer sciences and chemistry. The development is a key part of the Campus Master Plan.

The architectural and engineering teams are committed to constructing a "green" building that consumes much less energy than comparable UW–Madison research facilities. They are also pursuing LEED (Leadership in Environment and Energy Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council to ensure the institutes meet the highest standards of environmental sustainability and occupational health.

The public institute, the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, is part of the university organized under its Graduate School. The private institute, the Morgridge Institute for Research is an independent 501(c)3 Medical Research Organization. It will interact with and complement both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. The Morgridge Institute executive director reports to the Morgridge Institute for Research Board of Directors,  which is independent and entirely separate from the governance structure of the university.

The institutes will build on the long tradition of interdisciplinary research at UW–Madison. Today’s problems relating to human health and welfare are more complex than one individual, one department or one institution can solve. The twin research institutes will encourage the kind of cross-pollination needed to attack these problems and the building’s Town Center will serve as a vibrant crossroads for researchers to meet, hold joint conferences and participate in collaborative events that will extend the research of the efforts at the institutes beyond the facility itself. One of the project’s key objectives is to foster new approaches to biomedical problems at the convergence of various disciplines, including the arts, business, education, humanities, law, social sciences  and more.

Designing a building for maximum flexibility is one answer; creating spaces that promote impromptu interactions is another. For example, open areas for seating; shared facilities such as conference and break rooms; and stairways with windows and views all lead people to cross paths frequently and, hopefully, stop and talk.

The laboratory space in the institutes is also being designed to promote collaboration among individuals and teams. Each laboratory zone, or "pod," will house open lab areas that can be occupied by more than one principal investigator. The pods will also feature communal equipment areas that encourage interaction as well as unassigned meeting space that can be used for spur-of-the-moment discussions and sharing of data.

Education is a key focus for both the Wisconsin Institute and the Morgridge Institute.  Dedicated teaching labs are included on each of the three upper research floors and will be used for special courses for undergraduates and graduate students,  and to develop unique opportunities for K-12 students, professionals, lifelong learners and others to experience diverse hands-on laboratory skills.. In addition, both institutes will develop partnerships with the School of Education as well as school systems, existing science learning programs and community groups.

In addition to helping build a knowledge-based Wisconsin economy in 21st-century industries, the institutes will reach out statewide and globally on a number of fronts. The institutes will have state-of-the-art multimedia and telecommunications capability. Seminars and interactive web-based programs presented by institute scholars could be provided to other UW System campuses. Hands-on science programs will be available for K-12 students and visiting researchers will be invited to take part in the institutes’ work. Public lectures and other events will translate science for a lay audience and make it come alive for members of the community.

John and Tashia Morgridge are passionate about education and research. The institutes will offer students of every age unique opportunities for hands-on training in cross-disciplinary approaches to complex problems. The Morgridges want to foster collaborative research and the building will allow for that by creating an environment in which collaboration can easily occur. Grants and fellowships for researchers must also play a role. Great minds working collaboratively will create discoveries that will benefit the students, the university, the state and the world.