The Herzfeld Foundation, a Wisconsin-based charitable organization focused on quality of life issues in the greater Milwaukee area, has given $1 million to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee‘s Catalyst Grant Program and an additional $500,000 in unrestricted support to the university.
The Catalyst Grant Program, run through the UWM Innovation Campus and the UWM Research Foundation, provides seed funding for research and development projects with the potential to improve the southeastern Wisconsin economy.
“This foundation was created because Richard and Ethel Herzfeld were passionate about enhancing the quality of life in the greater Milwaukee area,” said F. William Haberman, president of the Herzfeld Foundation. “UWM has a tremendous impact on our community, and the research being done at its Innovation Campus and through its Catalyst Grant Program holds great promise for the well-being and economic vitality of our city.”
UWM’s Innovation campus in Wauwatosa includes a 25,000 square-foot accelerator building at which researchers from UWM, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Concordia University and other local academic institutions can collaborate with local businesses and startups on research projects with commercial potential.
“This gift will advance our efforts to develop intellectual property and the commercialization of UWM technologies,” said Brian Thompson, president of the UWM Research Foundation. “The Herzfeld Foundation’s generosity will help us focus on research areas that complement our regional capabilities, such as advanced automation, biochemistry and drug discovery, biomedical engineering, energy, entrepreneurship, health care, and water. I am excited about this gift and the future of our city.”
