UW-Innovation
Although there are no plans to change UW-Madison's name, many campus leaders are quite fond of its newly acquired nickname, "Innovation U."
A report by that name has tabbed UW-Madison among twelve American universities that excel in innovation and economic development. Published in March by the Southern Growth Policies Board and funded by the National Science Foundation, the book-length study identifies the leaders of an emerging trend in higher education, in which universities play active roles in stimulating local and regional economies. Other universities cited are Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, the University of California-San Diego, the University of Utah, Carnegie Mellon, and Stanford.
A report by that name has tabbed UW-Madison among twelve American universities that excel in innovation and economic development. Published in March by the Southern Growth Policies Board and funded by the National Science Foundation, the book-length study identifies the leaders of an emerging trend in higher education, in which universities play active roles in stimulating local and regional economies. Other universities cited are Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, the University of California-San Diego, the University of Utah, Carnegie Mellon, and Stanford.
A panel of fifty-five independent analysts picked the list, judging universities based on their activities in technology transfer, economic development, entrepreneurship, assistance to industry, and other economy-charging areas. "We kept seeing the same universities among those that were best in class and engaging in novel practices or policies," the authors wrote. UW-Madison, they say, is among that class. The report lauds the university as "a story of an extraordinarily successful research university that has also nurtured a long-standing mission of service to its state, while at the same time creating a very entrepreneurial culture and some novel approaches to technology transfer."
