New Wisconsin consortium will work to grow state’s fusion energy ecosystem
By: Ashley Smart
Originally posted in Biz Times.
A newly awarded $778,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. supports the creation of the Wisconsin Fusion Energy Consortium.
The Ignite Wisconsin grant was awarded to a consortium led by 5 Lakes Institute, a network of entrepreneurs, research organizations, investors, and business and government leaders driving tech-enabled growth in the Great Lakes region.
With matching commitments, the consortium will deliver $950,000 to Wisconsin’s fusion energy efforts.
Consortium members include the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, UW-Madison College of Engineering, UW-Whitewater Fiscal and Economic Research Center, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Wisconsin Procurement Institute, along with 19 members largely representing industry.
“Fusion energy is an emerging global industry where Wisconsin is uniquely positioned to lead,” said John Miller, secretary and chief executive officer of WEDC. “By bringing together our research institutions, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs, the Wisconsin Fusion Energy Coalition will accelerate startup formation, strengthen our supply chain, and drive high‑value job creation. This initiative puts Wisconsin at the forefront of a fast‑growing sector while building long‑term economic opportunity across the state.”
The consortium will work to elevate awareness of Wisconsin’s fusion energy and supply chain expertise.
It will expand the Great Lakes Fusion Energy Summit to include a supply chain track that will provide information to industrial companies about opportunities in the industry.
The coalition will also create a Fusion Early Entrepreneur in Residence (EEIR) position at UW-Madison and two Entrepreneurial Fusion Fellowships for post-docs/students with technical backgrounds to embed in companies. It plans to hold regular, virtual meetings to encourage matchmaking between researchers, industry, and potential startup CEOs and develop a “Continuing Legal Education” class to help companies maximize the value of their intellectual property and explore working with university technologies.
The coalition plans to provide Fusion Forward stipends and other support to startup teams formed from academic/industry partnerships. It will also recruit fusion and supply chain companies to locate headquarters and/or operations in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s leadership in commercializing fusion technology was the subject of a recent BizTimes special report.
“WEDC’s Ignite Wisconsin grant program created a unique opportunity to build a strong coalition and bring together great organizations that did not previously know each other,” said Kathleen Gallagher, executive director of 5 Lakes Institute. “Wisconsin Fusion Energy Coalition’s partners have the combined skills to build a robust ecosystem around one of Wisconsin’s most promising sectors.”
Featured image caption: Realta Fusion is partnering with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop its fusion technology through the Wisconsin High-field Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM) project. Photo by: Realta Fusion.