The Milwaukee Institute is an independent not-for-profit research, education and public policy organization whose goal is to provide world-class computing, communications and collaboration facilities in support of economic development through scientific, engineering and technology leadership in the Great Lakes region, particularly in SE Wisconsin.

The Institute encourages, enables and supports collaborative inter-disciplinary and inter-organizational (industrial, commercial, academic and governmental) research and education programs that address contemporary challenges in the healthcare sciences, financial services, defense, advanced manufacturing, transportation and logistics, new media, environmental, biotechnology and information sciences fields.

In concert with partner research, commercial and government organizations, the Institute seeks to create a world-class regional computing "grid" comprising  high-performance computer, communications and data management resources, a suite of shared scientific and engineering applications, including interactive web-based collaboration services, all supported by technical personnel with infrastructure- and domain-specific hardware and software expertise.

The information processing resources of the Institute will be developed, configured and maintained to work closely with established national high performance cyberinfrastructure resources through facilities such as TeraGrid, Gloriad, Lambda-Rail, and the Open Science Grid (OSG).  This will make it possible for regional scientists and engineers to access a wide variety of high performance computing resources and will facilitate collaboration between them and their colleagues in other parts of the US and internationally.

Public Policy Initiatives
In general, policy initiatives of the Institute foster the development of strategies and long-range plans for creation of a collaborative computational infrastructure in the region and to encourage continuous improvements in that infrastructure in support of regional high technology research programs.  Policy initiatives also address the critical need for increased governmental and philanthropic funding for both directed research at local research institutions and for improvements in math and science education programs across the entire educational spectrum.

The Institute fosters, through its own advanced web-based services, programs, symposia and other promotional efforts the broadest possible access to the high technology research infrastructure by all interested participants in academia, business, local government agencies and the community at large.

Formation/Sponsors
The Institute commenced operations as an IRS 501(c)(3) corporation in December of 2007 with initial funding provided by Rockwell Automation, Johnson Controls, Metavante and Mason Wells, leading Milwaukee technology companies that believe the Institute can be a powerful force to encourage the formation and sustainment of a vibrant research and technology development community in the region. Representatives of the founding corporations are currently engaged in “fact-finding” efforts that include discussions with several of the leading regional research organizations, relevant governmental agencies, and other potential corporations who may be interested in the work of the Institute.   Discussions with potentially interested participants are aimed at determining how the Institute can best serve and support alliances between and among various research and technology development partners in the region.

Getting Involved
If you are interested in learning more about the Institute, including the possibility of getting involved and/or supporting its efforts, please Email us or contact us by phone at 414.727.6424.