Gov. Doyle: Celebrates grand opening of Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery

Contact: Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162

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MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today celebrated the grand opening of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Governor Doyle first proposed the Institutes for Discovery in 2004 as part of an overall statewide strategy to cement Wisconsin’s status as a national leader in biotechnology, health sciences and stem cell research, and stimulate the economy.

“Through the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, the work done here in Wisconsin to advance medical science research will continue to improve lives in Wisconsin and throughout the world,” Governor Doyle said. “Now that we have opened the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, we will turn it over to our great scientists and let their hard work begin. I am confident that the unique, collaborative research done here will lead to cures that will help alleviate suffering and create better, healthier lives for all the citizens of the world.”

The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery (WID) houses three entities under one roof – UW-Madison’s public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, the private nonprofit Morgridge Institute for Research, and a main floor Town Center designed to foster interactions among scientists, students, entrepreneurs and businesses that will engage the public in science. All three entities share a vision of accelerating knowledge to improve human health and well-being.

The WID facility has been designed to prompt interpersonal interactions among researchers of various disciplines to facilitate collaborations that result in breakthrough medical discoveries. The 300,000-square-foot building located on the 1300 block of University Avenue on the UW-Madison campus is the first research facility on campus designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification for “green” building practices. The building was built to use 50-percent less energy and water than the typical laboratory facility at UW-Madison.

Governor Doyle provided $50 million for the project from the state. In addition, the financing for the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery included a $50 million gift from UW alumni John and Tashia Morgridge – the largest ever to benefit the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Morgridge gift was matched by $50 million from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).

Since taking office, Governor Doyle has made major investments in the University of Wisconsin and vastly expanded the state’s investment in regenerative medicine and stem cell technologies. Governor Doyle set a goal to capture 10 percent of the market by 2015 and launched a $750 million initiative to develop stem cell research and biotechnology in Wisconsin. The construction of the Institutes for Discovery is the centerpiece of this effort.

Governor Doyle thanked all the supporters of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery that made its construction possible including leaders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and generous private donors including John and Tashia Morgridge.