Catalyst Grant Program

Catalyst Grant Program is sponsored by UWM Research Foundation. The Catalyst Grant Program provides critical support for University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) research projects with commercial potential, advancing technologies in areas including artificial intelligence and energy systems.

Supported by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation, Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation, GE HealthCare, Clarios, and Invenergy, the program aims to bridge the gap between discovery and commercialization.

Catalyst Grant Program – UWM Research Foundation UWM Real Estate Foundation SUPPORTING UWM’S BEST & BRIGHTEST RESEARCHERS LICENSE/OPTION AGREEMENTS Fueling Discovery & Innovation The Bradley Catalyst Grant Program equips UWM faculty and students to pursue research with real-world applications and commercial promise. The program targets projects that combine rigorous science with the potential to become impactful products or services.

By funding these initiatives, the Catalyst Grant Program fosters a culture of innovation at UWM, encouraging teams to move beyond initial discoveries to explore partnerships with external companies or even launch their own startups. Since 2007, the program’s success is reflected in a nearly 8-fold return on investment through additional grants and follow-on funding.

The Catalyst Grant Program is powered by the generous support of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and Invenergy. Thanks to their contributions, the program continues to drive impactful change across a range of innovative projects. Previous sponsors include the Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation, the Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation, Clarios, and GE Healthcare .

Call for Research Abstracts The UWM Research Foundation opens with a call for abstracts in December/January for the annual Catalyst Grant Program. These grants aim to seed promising research and development projects that have the potential to significantly impact the local economy through commercialization.

Preference is given to projects with a thorough assessment of their intellectual property’s market potential, which can be achieved through customer discovery processes like NSF I-Corps. Researchers who have completed or are currently participating in the I-Corps site program with their Catalyst grant project idea will be automatically invited to submit a full Catalyst proposal.

Learn more about the application process and NSF I-Corps program below. The 2026 call for abstracts is now closed. Applicants selected to advance to the next round have been notified and invited to submit a full proposal.

For questions, contact: Jessica Silvaggi at jessica@uwmrf. org. Click the icons below to download the full proposal materials.

12/19/25: Call for abstracts begins 1/26/26 by 5PM: Deadline for submission of abstracts 3/20/26 : Invitations for full proposals issued 4/8/26: I-Corps Customer Discovery Mini-Course (option 1) 4/9/26: I-Corps Customer Discovery Mini-Course (option 2) 4/27/26 by 5PM: Deadline for full proposals 5/18/26: Scientific review of full proposals 6/26: Final selection of proposals and begin donor approval process.

Late 7/26: Target for notification of awards 8/1/26: Target award period This program targets areas where UWM can make the greatest impact on the local economy through commercialization—especially in science and engineering. It prioritizes research that complements regional strengths and capabilities. Any UWM department or research area with demonstrated commercial potential is eligible to apply.

Past examples include: Energy Storage/Transmission Artificial Intelligence (AI) Overall Assessment Criteria Will Include: Market potential: Preference will be given to projects with a more accurate assessment of the intellectual property’s market potential. Programs such as NSF I-Corps (Innovation Corps), are sponsored by UWM to assist researchers with their evaluations.

Researchers that have completed the I-Corps program will automatically be invited for a full proposal. Industry partnership: Proposals with at least a 1:1 match of potential Catalyst Grant funds supplied by an industry partner through a commitment support letter will automatically be invited for a full proposal . Scientific reviewers will prioritize and rank proposals against national standards (top 10%, next 40%, bottom 50%).

Quality: Excellence and novelty of concept, approach, and methodology; clarity and appropriateness of project plans; impact on the national and international scholarly community.

Return: Return on investment (ROI) through extramural funding or commercialization (expectation: 3X requested seed funding from external sources); potential for intellectual property, licensing revenue, corporate partnerships, startups, and other commercial returns.

Risk: Availability of necessary skills and experience; likelihood of achieving intended outcomes; probability of securing extramural funding or engaging in commercialization; potential for self-sustainability after the seed investment phase.

Investor Evaluation Criteria for Gap Fund Applications: Applications will be reviewed by entrepreneurs and/or investors based on the following criteria: Commercial Return: Ability of the project to advance technology toward commercialization through proof of concept, prototype development, cooperative research with a company, or other means. Measured by license agreements, startup launches, or securing outside investment.

Programmatic/Commercial Criteria: Qualifying grants will be reviewed by the UWM Research Foundation based on the program’s goal of fostering economic development, considering the following criteria: Intellectual Property: Current intellectual property, potential for future patents, freedom to operate, strength of potential intellectual property claims.

One of the program’s goals is to foster the development of intellectual property and the commercialization of UWM technologies. It is a requirement that the proposed work be directly related to an active intellectual property matter with the UWM Research Foundation. This may include: An invention disclosure already submitted to UWMRF.

A new invention disclosure related to the proposal. An active patent application (provisional or utility). An issued patent managed by UWMRF.

New invention disclosures should be submitted through the UWMRF Inventor Portal here. Commercializing Ideas through the NSF I-Corps Program at UWM The National Science Foundation (NSF) established the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program to accelerate the transfer of academic research into the marketplace.

By adapting the “lean launch” methodology, leading entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley have equipped faculty nationwide with tools to better understand the markets for their technologies. In 2015, UWM and the UWM Research Foundation were awarded a three-year NSF grant to bring this transformative program to Milwaukee, establishing the first NSF I-Corps Site in Wisconsin.

This methodology perfectly complements the Catalyst Grant Program, which pairs robust science with strong commercial potential. I-Corps helps researchers validate and understand the commercial viability of their work. Several teams funded by Catalyst Grants have leveraged I-Corps to navigate their path to market more effectively.

Today, I-Corps is an integral part of the Catalyst Grant Program, used at the front end to ensure projects are market-ready. VISIT THE MILWAUKEE I-CORPS WEBSITE