State covets classified research
Higher education consortium formed to draw federal money
By NAHAL TOOSI
ntoosi@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Feb. 24, 2005
Several of Wisconsin's institutions of higher education have agreed to organize a consortium designed to attract classified and sensitive federal research funds to the state.
The Wisconsin Technology Council will be the administrative headquarters of the Wisconsin Security Research Consortium, according to a memorandum of agreement. Representatives of the University of Wisconsin System, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Marshfield Clinic have signed the agreement.
The idea of such a consortium has been talked about on and off for the last year, said Tom Still, the technology council's president, who also signed the memorandum. The council, based in Madison, is a private non-profit created by the state Legislature to act as a science and technology policy adviser to the governor and lawmakers.
A major job of the council in the consortium would be to connect university experts with Wisconsin companies that receive federal funds stipulating some sensitive or classified work. Policy-makers and others have long complained that the state does not attract nearly enough federal money.
There are no plans for the consortium to build specialized research facilities; if anything, it would be a "virtual" consortium, Still said.
