Among the 55 bills Gov. Scott Walker signed into law Wednesday was Assembly Bill 729, which will alter the rules currently in place across the University of Wisconsin System prohibiting classified research.
The bill’s approval will allow the UW System to enter into research contracts and increase federal research funding, according to a release from the governor’s office.
With the research structure changes, the UW System Board of Regents must annually report to the state’s Joint Finance Committee regarding which research contracts the system is considering.
UW-Madison Academic Staff has made strides to explore potential classified research opportunities on campus, with their proposal earlier in the year to create a Classified Research Committee once the bill passed.