At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, we believe that the greatest discoveries result from collaboration and innovation. In the partnerships featured here, UWM researchers work with regional and state partners to harness our collective expertise and develop new knowledge, processes and products to benefit Wisconsin and the world.

Center for Advanced Embedded Systems
CAES is guided by industry members in its mission to develop a regional talent pipeline, offer professional development programming, and conduct industry-aligned research in the field of embedded systems. The center started with GE Healthcare’s interest in developing regional talent in advanced embedded systems and computational imaging.
Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
Backed by $20 million from the National Institutes of Health, this consortium of eight Milwaukee institutions, including UWM, shares resources to accelerate the translation of research discoveries into new medical treatments. Other members are the Medical College of Wisconsin, Marquette University, the Milwaukee School of Engineering, BloodCenter of Wisconsin, Children’s Hospital and Health System, Froedtert Hospital and the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center.
Connected Systems Institute
UWM’s Connected Systems Institute provides industry-collaborative research and education on improving manufacturing through the industrial internet of things. With participation from the Lubar School of Business, the College of Engineering & Applied Science, and the School of Information Studies, the institute is finding technologies that harness big data to achieve fully integrated “smart” factories. Founding industry partners include Rockwell Automation, Microsoft and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
Industrial Assessment Center (IAC)
Faculty experts and graduate students in the UWM College of Engineering & Applied Science provide technical advice to help local manufacturers cut their energy costs, improve energy efficiency and productivity, and reduce waste. Backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, the IAC at UWM is the only such center in Wisconsin and the largest of the 24 NSF funds nationwide. The center also trains students in industrial energy system management and assessment.
Mid-West Energy Research Consortium (M-WERC)
The goal of M-WERC, headquartered in Milwaukee, is to make Wisconsin and the Midwest a nationally recognized center of expertise in energy, power and control technologies. M-WERC brings together UW-Milwaukee and three other engineering schools – UW-Madison, Marquette University and Milwaukee School of Engineering. Since its formation, M-WERC has grown to 80 members. M-WERC funded a 10-kilowatt wind turbine at UWM, which helps power UWM’s microgrid research.
The Milwaukee Institute
Through the sharing of high speed/performance computers, modeling, simulation and visualization tools, The Milwaukee Institute is helping UWM researchers reach beyond the university’s current computing capacity to undertake new, increasingly innovative research in areas such as virtual prototyping, crime analysis, biomechanics, and cell mutation and disease prediction.
Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery (MIDD)
Established to advance research and later-stage development of new drugs from UWM research, the institute focuses on neuroscience, cancer and infectious diseases. The MIDD is focused on collaborations among UWM departments, regional and national academic centers, and medical-product companies.
The Milwaukee Master Teacher Partnership
UWM and Milwaukee Public Schools are joining forces to improve the teaching of mathematics and science in the city’s public high schools. This partnership, supported by the National Science Foundation, will pair 25 high school teachers with master’s degrees with UWM faculty who will guide them in professional development and classroom-based research to teach more effectively.
National Science Foundation Innovation Corps site
Funded by the National Science Foundation, I-Corps is a three-year program aiming to train 90 academic teams to take a research discovery to the marketplace. I-Corps forces team members to leave the lab and interact with the real world, which helps guide the commercialization process and their research. Part of the National Innovation Network, local teams come from UWM, Medical College of Wisconsin, Marquette University, the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Concordia.
Northwestern Mutual Data Sciences Insitute
UWM has partnered with Northwestern Mutual and Marquette University to advance Milwaukee as a national hub for technology, research, business, and talent development. The nearly $40 million project includes an endowed professorship in data science at each university, research projects, expanded curriculum, K-12 STEM learning opportunities and pre-college programs.
UWM-Johnson Controls battery research
This partnership with the world’s leading automotive battery supplier has led to construction of two research labs supported by Johnson Controls Inc. and located on the UWM campus for the partners’ use. In addition, the company is supporting The Johnson Controls Endowed Professorship in Energy Storage Research, which is shared between UWM and UW-Madison, and graduate fellowships at both universities.
Water Equipment and Policy Research Center (WEP)
Combining their individual strengths in freshwater technology research, UWM and Marquette University have joined with 15 industries to form this NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on freshwater technology and policy. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the center is one of only two in the nation focused on fresh water. The research has led to four patents and 10 licensing agreements in the past six years.