SUPPORTING UWM’S BEST AND BRIGHTEST RESEARCHERS

About Electronic Theses and Dissertations Submission

Dissertations are published immediately after submission unless an embargo is requested. If the dissertation is part of a grant-funded project (e.g., Catalyst) and a disclosure is submitted to the UWMRF, publication may need to be delayed. For questions, contact jessica@uwmrf.org or 414-906-4654.

Reasons for Embargo:

1. Disclosure of intellectual property that affects patent rights.
2. Disclosure of sensitive data that violates confidentiality ethics.
3. Pending publications:
   • Interest from an academic or commercial press to publish the work as a book.
   • Content submitted to a peer-reviewed journal requiring an embargo.
   • Embargo allows time for patent applications before public disclosure, as required by the USPTO.

How to Submit Your Theses and Dissertations:

Submit your final thesis or dissertation by the posted deadline.

Submission to the Graduate School must include:

• ProQuest Submission:
  • Upload the thesis or dissertation PDF to ProQuest. UWM ProQuest “ETD Administrator” Website
  • Upload the signed Thesis & Dissertation Approval and Publishing Options Form.
    • Thesis & Dissertation Approval and Publishing Options Form – 1 Major Professor (PDF)
    • Thesis & Dissertation Approval and Publishing Options Form —Two Major Professors (PDF).
  • Complete the online Survey of Earned Doctorates (PhD students only).

Embargo periods of six months, one year, or two years are available. Select the embargo option on both the Approval and Publishing Options form and in ProQuest. To request an embargo beyond two years or to extend an existing embargo, submit a Request for Exception form.

Any department or area of UWM-based research that demonstrates commercial potential is eligible to apply for this program. Past examples include:

• Biomedical Engineering 
• Drug Discovery
• Renewable Energy
• Energy Storage/Transmission
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Agriculture
• Social Innovation
• Environmental
• Healthcare
• Advanced Automation 
• Material/Devices
• Water/Freshwater
• Aquaculture
• Transportation
• Education
• Other Topics

Download Grant Materials (click in the circles below):

1. Program Summary
2. Abstract Template
3. Full Application Packet and Instructions

**Abstracts should be submitted to: catalystgrant@uwmrf.org. This short abstract should not exceed three total pages. Budget, CV and WISPER record are not required at the abstract stage. A complete budget is not required at this stage.

Timeline

• 12/19/24:           Call for abstracts
• 1/27/25:             Deadline for submission of abstracts – by 5:00 PM
• 3/14/25:             Invitations for full proposals issued
• 4/1/25:               I-Corps Customer Discovery Mini-Course Date 1 –4:30-6:00pm @ LEC,
• 4/3/25:               I-Corps Customer Discovery Mini-Course Date 2 –12:00-1:30pm @ LEC,
• 4/21/25:             Deadline for full proposals – by 5:00 PM
• 5/13/25:             Scientific review of full proposals
• 6/25:                  Final selection of proposals and begin donor approval process.
• Late 7/25:          Target for notification of awards
• Award period:    Target beginning 8/1/25

Qualification Criteria:

• Field of Study: Sciences, engineering, healthcare, or other identified areas.
• UWM Researchers: Project must be for UWM-based research.
• Funding Period: Up to one year.
• Amount of Funding: $50,000 for catalyst grants; $10,000 to $30,000 for gap fund awards.
• Intellectual Property: Research must relate to an active intellectual property matter with the UWM Research Foundation (disclosure, patent application, or issued patent). Investigators without an active matter may submit an invention disclosure with the abstract.

Scientific Evaluation:

Scientific reviewers will prioritize and rank proposals against national standards (top 10%, next 40%, bottom 50%).

• Quality: Excellence and novelty of concept, approach, and methodology; clarity and appropriateness of project plans; impact on the national and international scholarly community.
• Return: Return on investment (ROI) through extramural funding or commercialization (expectation: 3X requested seed funding from external sources); potential for intellectual property, licensing revenue, corporate partnerships, startups, and other commercial returns.
• Risk: Availability of necessary skills and experience; likelihood of achieving intended outcomes; probability of securing extramural funding or engaging in commercialization; potential for self-sustainability after the seed investment phase.

Investor Evaluation Criteria for Gap Fund Applications:

Applications will be reviewed by entrepreneurs and/or investors based on the following criteria:

• Commercial Return: Ability of the project to advance technology toward commercialization through proof of concept, prototype development, cooperative research with a company, or other means. Measured by license agreements, startup launches, or securing outside investment.

Programmatic/Commercial Criteria:

Qualifying grants will be reviewed by the UWM Research Foundation based on the program’s goal of fostering economic development, considering the following criteria:

• Intellectual Property: Current intellectual property, potential for future patents, freedom to operate, strength of potential intellectual property claims.
• Market Assessment: Total market size, addressable market, and other market dynamics.
• Licensing Potential: Potential licensees and assessment of license revenue potential.
• Corporate Partnerships: Potential for corporate partnerships and/or startups, and alignment with regional industrial clusters.

One of the program’s goals is to foster the development of intellectual property and the commercialization of UWM technologies. It is a requirement that the proposed work be directly related to an active intellectual property matter with the UWM Research Foundation. This may include:

• An invention disclosure already submitted to UWMRF.
• A new invention disclosure related to the proposal (new disclosures should be submitted before the abstract deadline).
• An active patent application (provisional or utility).
• An issued patent managed by UWMRF.
• An active copyright matter.

New invention disclosures should be submitted through the UWMRF Inventor Portal here.

Confirmation: You should receive a confirmation that your abstract has been received within one business day of submitting it.  If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact the UWM Research Foundation immediately.

Questions should be directed to the UWM Research Foundation: Erin Puro, erin@uwmrf.org 414-906-4659.

PHASE 16 – SUMMER 2023 

PHASE 15 – SUMMER 2022

PHASE 14 – SUMMER 2021

PHASE 13 – SUMMER 2020

PHASE 12 – SUMMER 2019

PHASE 11 – SUMMER 2018

PHASE 10 – SUMMER 2017

PHASE 9 – SUMMER 2016

PHASE 8 – SUMMER 2015

PHASE 7 – SUMMER 2014

PHASE 6 – SUMMER 2013

PHASE 5 – SUMMER 2012

PHASE 4 – SUMMER 2011

PHASE 3 – SUMMER 2010

PHASE 2 – SUMMER 2009

PHASE 1 – SUMMER 2008

PHASE 1 – WINTER 2007

PHASE 2 – WINTER 2008

PHASE 3 – WINTER 2009

PHASE 4 – WINTER 2010

PHASE 1 – SUMMER 2013

PHASE 2 – SUMMER 2014

PHASE 3 – SUMMER 2015

PHASE 4 – SUMMER 2016

PHASE 1 – SUMMER 2014

PHASE 1 – SPRING 2014