Advancing non-animal testing: Apply for the WARF/MilliporeSigma Challenge Grant

WARF Accelerator to award 5-10 grants from a $200K pool

CONTACT:
Jeanan Yasiri Moe
Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs
[email protected] | (608) 960-9892

MADISON, Wis. - The future of drug development depends on smarter, more predictive testing systems. To identify and support UW-Madison researchers pioneering new non-animal approaches, WARF and MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, are launching a spring WARF Accelerator Challenge Grant.

Principal Investigators (PIs) and their teams are invited to submit a brief disclosure form and questionnaire by May 15, 2026. Learn more and submit.

Projects (even early-stage) that present innovative alternatives to animal testing in drug development are encouraged. Areas of interest include new assay workflows, devices, bioprinted tissue-mimetic constructs, organoid-based toxicology models and nanoscale drug delivery testing platforms, particularly those relevant to neurodegenerative disease and metabolic therapeutics.

"As a leader in organoid biology and non-animal drug testing, MilliporeSigma is combining advanced models with scalable automation to accelerate safer, more predictive drug development," says Karen Madden, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, MilliporeSigma. "Our WARF collaboration expands the ecosystem of innovative assays, tissues, and platforms to help researchers move from concept to clinical insight faster and deliver translational relevance for patients."

Submissions are due to WARF by May 15. Criteria include:

• Project team must include a PI at UW-Madison or Morgridge Institute for Research
• Concepts must be new (not something previously disclosed to WARF)
• Technical readiness
• Commercial potential

A team of WARF and MilliporeSigma staff will evaluate and select proposals. Proposed research should be completed within a year.

"UW-Madison researchers continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in developing new ways to evaluate disease treatments, and this partnership with MilliporeSigma helps accelerate that work," says WARF CEO Erik Iverson. "By supporting the exploration of new non-animal testing approaches, we are investing in safer, more predictive technologies that have the potential to transform human health."

For questions contact Jennifer Gottwald, director of licensing, at [email protected], 608-960-9854.

About WARF

Incorporated in 1925, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) patents and licenses discoveries from UW-Madison research, manages an investment portfolio generated from licensing and investment proceeds, and provides annual grants to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research to support further scientific investigation and research. By driving collaborations among researchers, investors, industry and entrepreneurs, WARF commercializes innovations from campus through various initiatives. WARF Accelerator improves the commercialization potential of university intellectual property through industry engagement and investment in proof-of-concept milestones to validate market potential, demonstrate commercial value and de-risk technology. WARF Therapeutics partners with UW-Madison and Morgridge Institute researchers employing an industry-focused approach to improve the value propositions of drug candidates. WARF Ventures is an early-stage venture fund that invests in startups based on UW/WARF technologies. Learn more at warf.org.

About the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has more than 27,000 employees and more than 55 total manufacturing and testing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics.

More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices - the company is everywhere. In 2025, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 21.1 billion in 65 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark "Merck" internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company's technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.emdgroup.com.

Follow MilliporeSigma on X (formerly Twitter) @MilliporeSigma, on Facebook @MilliporeSigma and on LinkedIn.

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