Directors of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery announced Friday 12 finalists to possibly take part in thematic research after the building's opening in 2010.
Twenty-six UW-Madison faculty members submitted pre-proposals to WID last fall, and 12 of them were selected as finalists. Five of the 12 finalists will become a part of the institute after directors analyze final proposals.
John Wiley, interim WID director, said directors required the proposals to outline a research theme involving technology areas like information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology. He said the institute wants at least one faculty leader from campus to lead each of the five research areas.
Wiley said directors of WID did not have a preference regarding featured departments and what mattered the most was choosing the strongest ideas for the institute.
Jean-Michel Ane, a UW-Madison agronomy professor and finalist, said the WID is a good idea because it fosters interdisciplinary research.
""Hopefully we will be able to bring together from these different disciplines, people who usually don't meet at the same place,"" he said.
WID will focus on the study of interdisciplinary research ""that can be translated to practice beyond academia"" and hopes to help the economic future of the state.
David Schwartz, a UW-Madison law professor and finalist, said he thinks the unique infrastructure and the university's leadership in human biology will create more jobs in the biotechnology industry.
Other finalists derive from research areas like chemistry, life sciences communication, chemical and biological engineering, mechanical engineering and psychology.
The institution will operate under the UW- Madison graduate school and will pair with the private Morgridge Institute for Research. The two institutes will share the $150 million building in the 1300 block of University Avenue.
According to Wiley, Gov. Jim Doyle included WID in the state budget, which will provide 15 new faculty positions, three for each research theme.
The funding for the institute includes $8 million from Wisconsin's budget, which will serve to ""jump-start the research facility,"" according to the WID website.
For more information on the WID and finalists, visit www.wid.wisc.edu.
