Countdown to 2025 WARF Innovation Awards

Six visionary teams. Two $10,000 prizes. Celebrating research that's shaping the future this December.

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

MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has named six standout technologies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as finalists for its top innovation prize. These early-stage breakthroughs represent the cutting edge of research and development across campus, tackling real-world challenges with bold, creative solutions.

The two winning teams will be revealed in mid-December. To be among the first to hear the news, sign up for WARF's holiday greeting email list.

Selected from hundreds of disclosures submitted to WARF this year, the finalists showcase promising innovations in fields ranging from sustainable agriculture and quantum engineering to cancer immunotherapy and artificial intelligence. Each finalist highlights the transformative potential of UW-Madison research.

"As WARF marks our centennial year, we celebrate the Innovation Award nominees whose work exemplifies the power of UW-Madison research to solve global challenges," says Erik Iverson, CEO of WARF. "These discoveries represent the future of science and innovation, and we're proud to support the innovators driving progress to benefit Wisconsin and beyond."

An independent panel of judges will select the two winning teams, each of which will receive a $10,000 award, shared among the UW inventors.

Meet the 2025 WARF Innovation Award finalists:

Soybeans engineered for color and brain health
Hiroshi Maeda, Soyoung Jung, Ray Collier, Shawn Kaeppler and Heidi Kaeppler have developed soybeans rich in betalain, a natural red pigment, and L-DOPA, a compound linked to cognitive health. This dual-purpose crop could replace synthetic food dyes and support brain health through soy-based products.

Dynamic GPU scheduling boosts AI performance
Ming Liu, assistant professor of computer science, has created a system that dynamically allocates GPU resources, improving the efficiency and speed of AI and other high-performance computing applications. The technology adapts in real time to optimize hardware usage.

New light-extracting structure could boost quantum device performance
Professors Mikhail Kats and Jennifer Choy, along with graduate student Minjeong Kim, have designed a low-cost silicon structure that boosts light output from quantum materials without surface damage-potentially advancing quantum sensors and communication systems.

Ecofriendly herbicide offers targeted weed control
A new herbicide system from Paige Henning, Benjamin Minkoff and Michael Sussman uses SPH, a natural plant peptide that targets a receptor common to most plant species. By removing this receptor from crops, the researchers enable selective weed control while preserving desired plants.

Targeted eye therapy could improve treatment for vision loss
David Gamm, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, and postdoctoral researcher Celia Bisbach have developed a targeted therapy for retinal diseases that eliminates harmful proteins at the disease site, reducing injections, preserving healthy tissue and offering hope for patients with macular degeneration.

Recyclable protein degraders could boost cancer immunotherapy
Quanyin Hu, assistant professor of pharmacy, and postdoctoral researcher Peixin Liu have developed McR-TACs, a new class of protein degrader that targets disease-related proteins on and outside cells. These degraders are recycled by the cells, potentially improving the durability and effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy treatments.

About WARF

Celebrating a century of service in 2025, 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.

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