September 15, 2006

A Tight Grip on Tech Transfer

A U. of Wisconsin foundation fiercely protects its patent rights, but critics say it impedes stem-cell research

By Goldie Blumenstyk

For most of its 81 years, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has enjoyed a reputation as a pioneering and savvy leader in the commercialization of university inventions, the force that helped bring to market vitamin-D-enriched foods with to fight rickets, the blood thinner Warfarin to prevent strokes, and key technologies used in PlayStation 2 video-game machines.

Here on the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin, the foundation commonly referred to as WARF is also