Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$2,032,663

Total expenses

$2,581,624

Contributions and grants received

$1,947,416

Grants paid

$124,916

Program service revenue

$157,940

Investment income

-$73,597

Other revenue

$904

Total assets, end of year

$3,805,998

Total liabilities, end of year

$1,242,017

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$2,563,981

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$1,835,819

Management and general expenses

$745,805

Fundraising expenses

$0

Program service expenses (Part III)

$1,835,819

Program services were 71.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2023

• INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & LICENSING:THE WISYS TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION WAS ESTABLISHED IN MARCH 2000 TO PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SERVICES FOR THE UNIVERSITIES OF WISCONSIN (UW) CAMPUSES EXCLUDING THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON AND UW-MILWAUKEE.DURING FISCAL 2023-24, WISYS REVIEWED 60 NEW INVENTION DISCLOSURES RECEIVED FROM UW-SYSTEM FACULTY AND STUDENTS AND ACCEPTED 14 OF THE DISCLOSURES FOR FURTHER STUDY AND PATENTING. DURING FISCAL 2023-24, WISYS APPLIED FOR 18 U.S. PATENTS AND DERIVATIVES. WISYS ALSO APPLIED FOR 5 NEW FOREIGN APPLICATIONS AND DERIVATIVES. IN ADDITION, WISYS RECEIVED 9 U.S. ISSUED PATENTS. WISYS COMPLETED 0 NEW LICENSE AND OPTIONS AGREEMENTS AND 0 NEW MATERIAL TRANSFER AGREEMENTS.WISYS OPERATES ITS OFFICES LOCATED AT 614 WALNUT STREET, 13TH FLOOR, MADISON, WISCONSIN WITH 14 PROFESSIONAL STAFF. IN ADDITION, AT JUNE 30, 2024, WISYS HAD 5 AMBASSADORS WORKING THROUGH THE VARIOUS UW CAMPUSES ALONG WITH 6 STUDENT INTERNS.WISYS ACTS AS A DESIGNATED TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICE PROVIDING SERVICES TO 11 REGIONAL UW INSTITUTIONS.

  Expenses $648,116 · Grants $4,435 · Revenue $132,445

• INNOVATION PROGRAMS:THE INNOVATION PROGRAMS ARE EVENTS AND COMPETITIONS GEARED TOWARDS HONING INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND RESEARCH SKILLS. THIS INCLUDES FOUR KEY PROGRAMS: 1)THE WISYS BIG IDEA TOURNAMENT HELPS EXTEND THE WISCONSIN ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM TO UW STUDENTS, WITH A GOAL TO IMPROVE THE OVERALL QUALITY OF BUSINESS STARTUP PERFORMANCE. 2) INNOVATION ON-RAMP, A 5-WEEK HYBRID COURSE, HELPS UW STUDENTS DEVELOP AN INNOVATIVE THINKING MINDSET AND LEARN HOW TO EVALUATE THE MARKET POTENTIAL OF AN IDEA. 3) WISYS QUICK PITCH IS A RESEARCH-FOCUSED STUDENT PITCH COMPETITION THAT INSPIRES UW STUDENTS TO CONSIDER THE IMPACT OF THEIR RESEARCH AND LEARN HOW TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE IT TO A GENERAL AUDIENCE IN THREE MINUTES. 4) THE ANNUAL WISYS SPARK SYMPOSIUM (SPARK) WAS JOINTLY HOSTED BY WISYS AND UW-OSHKOSH IN 2023 TO BRING TOGETHER INNOVATIVE RESEARCHERS AND STUDENTS FROM THE UNIVERSITIES OF WISCONSIN AND OTHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS. SPARK ALLOWS UW INSTITUTIONS TO SHOWCASE THEIR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS ENGAGE IN DISCUSSIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER UW CAMPUS RESEARCHERS, STUDENTS AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS FROM AROUND THE STATE. THIS YEAR'S IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT INCLUDED 213 REGISTRATIONS AND APPROXIMATELY 179 ATTENDEES.

  Expenses $512,904 · Revenue $25,495

• RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT:THE WISYS RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AIMS TO PROVIDE GRANT PREPARATION AND WRITING SUPPORT TO UNIVERSITIES OF WISCONSIN REGIONAL CAMPUSES (UW REGIONAL CAMPUSES).THROUGH REGULAR VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON VISITS, THE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AND ASSOCIATES PROVIDE INFORMATION AND EXPERTISE ABOUT GRANT APPLICATION AND PROPOSAL PREPARATION FOR FACULTY TO ENRICH UW REGIONAL CAMPUSES RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP AND, ULTIMATELY, THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE. WISYS RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT IS DESIGNED TO BE INCLUSIVE, ENGAGING FACULTY FROM ANY DISCIPLINE, HELPING TO BRIDGE GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IN ORDER TO SUPPORT UW REGIONAL CAMPUSES AS THEY SUSTAIN AND GROW THEIR RESEARCH ENTERPRISE.

  Expenses $292,791

• INNOVATIVE VENTURES:WISYS VENTUREHOME IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THE INNOVATIVE VENTURE'S DIVISION THAT IS A NETWORK OF STARTUP HUBS ACROSS SIX CITIES IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN THAT CONNECTS STATEWIDE RESOURCES WITH LOCAL INITIATIVES TO PROVIDE ENTREPRENEURS ACCESS TO A FULL MENU OF STARTUP RESOURCES IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. SOME OF THE CENTRALIZED SERVICES THAT VENTUREHOME OFFERS ARE A CONCIERGE ACCESS TO THE LARGER STATE-WIDE ECOSYSTEM, ENTREPRENEUR TOOLKITS, ACCESS TO RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGIES COMING OUT OF THE UNIVERSITIES OF WISCONSIN, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND LEGAL STRATEGY ASSISTANCE, AND SEED FUNDING. IN ADDITION, VENTUREHOME CONNECT IS A DIGITAL COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE ONLINE SUPPORT FOR ENTREPRENEURS, INCLUDING CONNECTIONS TO MENTORS STATE-WIDE.

  Expenses $125,014

• WISCONSIN FORWARD AGRICULTURE:THIS REGIONAL INNOVATION ENGINES DEVELOPMENT AWARD IS FOCUSED ON BUILDING A CONNECTED ECOSYSTEM TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT AGRICULTURE INNOVATION ACROSS WISCONSIN USING WISYS VENTUREHOME AS THE PLATFORM FOR REGIONAL, COLLABORATIVE, INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY. THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN WISCONSIN IS A SOURCE OF STRENGTH, CONTRIBUTING $104.8 BILLION ANNUALLY TO WISCONSIN'S ECONOMY AND 11.8 PERCENT OF THE WORKFORCE. AN INNOVATION ENGINE DEDICATED TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE ACROSS WISCONSIN WILL ADDRESS GLOBAL AND REGIONAL CHALLENGES OF FEEDING 10 BILLION BY 2050 WHILE NURTURING HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS AND SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE LAND, WATER, AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT. THIS ENGINE DEVELOPMENT AWARD BUILDS ON A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT OFFICES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN (UW) SYSTEM - WISYS, WISCONSIN ALUMNI RESEARCH FOUNDATION (WARF), AND UW-MILWAUKEE RESEARCH FOUNDATION (UWMRF). THE AWARD WILL LEVERAGE THE WISYS VENTUREHOME NETWORK TO PROVIDE WISCONSIN'S PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO ACCOMPLISH THESE GOALS AND FACILITATE COLLABORATION AMONG NEW AND EXISTING COLLABORATORS ACROSS ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, NONPROFITS, INVESTORS, AND FARMERS.

  Expenses $256,994 · Grants $120,482

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• UW-MADISON

  $24,416

  NSF ENGINE SUBRECIPIENT

• UW-LA CROSSE

  $23,761

  NSF ENGINE SUBRECIPIENT

• WI TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL

  $19,750

  NSF ENGINE SUBRECIPIENT

• UW-MILWAUKEE

  $16,683

  NSF ENGINE SUBRECIPIENT

• UW-OSHKOSH

  $15,415

  NSF ENGINE SUBRECIPIENT

• UW-GREEN BAY

  $14,905

  NSF ENGINE SUBRECIPIENT

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

• UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM

  115 · EDUCATION · WI

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

4 November 2024

IRS schema version

2023v5.1

Source object

202423129349304327

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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