Pending U.S. legislation could infuse Wisconsin’s top engineering schools, including UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science, with billions more in federal money and make Wisconsin home to one of the nation’s emerging technology hubs.
Andrew Graettinger, associate dean for research at the College of Engineering & Applied Science, joined other Wisconsin engineering school officials on Oct. 19 to discuss the potential funding, how it could prompt greater commercialization of technologies found in Wisconsin’s academic research and industry sectors, and ways in which collaboration could benefit the region.
The panel discussion was facilitated by the Wisconsin Technology Council.
The pending legislation includes large investments in advanced energy and advanced manufacturing. “Southeast Wisconsin has a long history of knowledge and strength in these areas, which makes us very attractive as a tech hub,” Graettinger says.
The broad benefits of becoming a federally funded tech hub, he adds, would include: encouraging students to complete their educations, making it easier for new graduates to secure well-paying jobs, and enticing employees to move to the region.
Read news coverage of this event.
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