Corporate/Industry Collaboration

Research, the process of creating knowledge from investment, is at the heart of UWM‘s mission. Innovation, the commercialization of the knowledge, complements research at UWM. By fostering innovation, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee provides a complementary mix of expertise in research management and venture capital investing to support research and innovation at UWM.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Research Foundation (UWMRF) supports research and innovation, corporate partnerships, and intellectual property development. The UWMRF is the first stop for both UWM faculty and industry when considering a university/industry collaboration. UWMRF provides support with:

  • Consultation on partnership benefits between UWM and industry
  • Explore intellectual property opportunities
  • Seek ways to commercialize research

The UWMRF also promotes corporate partnerships and startup companies helping commercialize ideas as they reach later stages of maturity. Underlying all of these activities is the management of intellectual property, including assessing ideas and protecting intellectual property through patents, copyrights, and licensing activities.

Panther Partnering

As the designated technology transfer office for UW-Milwaukee, the UWM Research Foundation (UWMRF) is offering a new program known as Panther Partnering that includes several options for Intellectual Property (IP) licensing tied to sponsored research conducted with industry partners. Our goal is to make partnering transparent, fair, and with minimal negotiation, in order to focus on research, innovation, and bringing new products to market.

Three licensing options are described below:
License Option

in a limited field of use

License Fee

Wisconsin Headquarters

License Fee

Non-Wisconsin Headquarters

Patent Royalty Rate

cumulative sales reach $20MM

Copyright or Software Royalty Rate

cumulative sales reach $20MM

Patent or Copyright Costs Sublicensing Rights
Non-Exclusive $10,000 $20,000 0.5% 1.5% Paid by Licensee None
Exclusive $20,000 $40,000 1.5% 4.5% Paid by Licensee Available with additional fees
*Conventional License Negotiation Determined by market comps Determined by market comps Determined by market comps Determined by market comps Paid by Licensee Dependent on type of license

*Terms are negotiated at project completion and upon creation of the intellectual property.

Other Details

  • The company must pay the license fee at the start of the sponsored research project, otherwise a conventional license negotiation will be utilized.
  • The company selecting a non-exclusive license can upgrade to an exclusive license at the time of the patent filing.
  • At this time certain types of technologies and agreements are excluded from Panther Partnering including but not limited to industry master agreements, pharmaceutical/drug development, and medical devices needing regulatory approval.
  • IP will be owned by UWMRF unless there is joint inventorship by an industry sponsor employee.

For more information on corporate partnering please refer to the UWM Research Foundation page on Industry Collaborations.

UWMRF Support and Assistance

The UWMRF assists researchers and collaborators with navigating complex legal and administrative requirements associated with technology commercialization and protection. Services related to common technology and intellectual property generated through university/campus partnerships appear include:

Inventions

A new and useful innovation, or a significant improvement to an existing invention, that is fully formed in the mind of the inventor or, better yet, is reduced to practice as an operational model or prototype. Inventions are typically protected by means of a patent.

Computer Software

A sequence of instructions to be executed by a computer. Computer software can be protected under copyright as a work of authorship and, in certain cases, under patent law as an invention. The choice is best made with advice from a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property law. The UWMRF has access to attorneys who can help protect software disclosed to UWM by its faculty, staff, or students.

Works of Authorship

An original and creative expression of the human mind that has been captured in a fixed and tangible form. This category includes literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, and can be eligible for copyright protection.

Contact:

To initiate a partnership between UWM and industry or for technology transfer activities:
Jessica Silvaggi, Vice President, UWMRF

For administrative support for contracts:
or-osp-contracts@uwm.edu