Draper Technology Innovation Fund (TIF)

The Draper Technology Innovation Fund (TIF) provides grant funding for UW-Madison faculty and academic staff to conduct the additional research often necessary to bring new concepts and inventions to the patent and licensing stage.

About

The Draper Technology Innovation Fund (TIF) provides a mechanism to support the additional research often necessary to bring new concepts and inventions to the patent and licensing stage. The targeted inventions must have already been disclosed to and accepted by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) for patenting or similar intellectual property protection. The grant is administered by Discovery to Product (D2P) in partnership with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).

The program goal is the eventual introduction of new products and processes into the marketplace for the public good. Funds can be used to support efforts to enhance the scope or patentability of inventions and assist with their potential licensing to the commercial sector.

Prior to writing a proposal, we highly recommended that you consult your WARF licensing representative to discuss the award qualifications as they pertain to your invention and experimental research findings. These consultations can prove helpful when describing in your proposal what additional research is required to improve the patentability or licensability of your invention. Your school or college research administrators can also assist in formulating your grant proposal.  Please contact your research office for more information.

Services Provided

Financial Resources and Assistance

  • Grant Funding (Specialty)

Manufacturing, High Tech, Life Sciences Development

  • Technology Transfer (Specialty)
Contact Information
Andy Richards
Address
1403 University Ave
Madison, WI 53715