Wisconsin  Institute for Discovery (WID) announces its Research Themes competition. The purpose of this competition is to select the five research themes that will initially comprise WID. The document describing the criteria and procedures that will be used to  evaluate the proposed themes, the time-line for the review, and the  opportunities and obligations of the successful theme leaders can be found on our website:
http://www.wid.wisc.edu

This memo serves as an invitation to the faculty  of the UW-Madison to participate in this process by submitting  pre-proposals on or before November 3, 2008.

Three information sessions will be held to answer questions about the WID  Research Themes competition and to acquaint the campus with the WID  program:

Monday,  September 8      Memorial Union     1-2 PM
Wednesday,  September 10  Engineering Hall   1-2 PM
Friday,  September 12     Waisman Center     12-1 PM

Everyone is welcome to attend the information sessions to learn more about the WID program and Research Themes competition.

The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery include the public “Wisconsin Institute for Discovery” (WID) and the private “Morgridge Institute for Research” (MIR).  They are intended to serve as a hub for interdisciplinary research spanning biotechnology, nanotechnology, and information technology  which will lead to the development of new biomedical treatments and  technological applications aimed at enhancing human health and welfare. The institutes will share one building to be constructed on the entire  1300 block of University Avenue on the UW-Madison campus. The building  will be completed in 2010.

WID is the latest expression of the Wisconsin Idea.  The boundaries of WID  are intended to exceed the WID building and extend to the boundaries of the  UW-Madison campus.  As such, all faculty members will have the opportunity  to participate in WID programs and be the recipients of WID resources.  The  first step in the actualization of the WID program will be the selection of  the WID research themes.

The timeline for the WID Research Themes competition is described in the  document mentioned above.