WRF GIFTS & PAYMENTS

Disbursements from WRF Licensing

Cumulative license and royalty payments to client institutions: $240,609,864.
(as of July 2009)

WRF GIFTS

WRF gifts have supported the creation of over 100 endowments for chairs, professorships, research fellowships and graduate stipends in science, medicine and engineering. Educational programs created and supported by WRF include the Center for Technology Entrepreneurship (UW Business School) and the Program for Technology Commercialization (UW Bioengineering). WRF was a founding supporter of technology "gap" funding programs at the University of Washington, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Washington State University. The gifts to Washington State research institutions are targeted to projects with commercial potential.

SELECTED SUCCESS STORIES

  • A $30,000 gift to UW Computer Science Department's Oren Etzioni to develop the core technology that became the basis of the venture-backed company Farecast, in which WRF is an investor. Farecast was acquired by Microsoft in April 2008.
  • A $20,000 gift to UW Department of Urology's Dr. Robert Sweet to convert his Virtual Reality Resection Trainer software to a PC platform. The software was subsequently licensed to a surgical training company by the Digital Ventures team of the UW Office of Technology Transfer.
  • WRF's support of the UW Cell Systems Initiative aided the development of software to design, plan and virtually execute biological experiments. This software became the platform for start-up company Teranode, in which WRF is an investor.
  • In 2003, WRF made a $28,000 gift to support Dr. Les Atlas' pilot research into "A Method of Hearing Enhancement" that allowed Dr. Atlas to enter into interdisciplinary collaborations with UW Hearing and Speech and UW Otolaryngology. Dr. Atlas was able to leverage this pilot research to gain $500,000 in additional funding from public and private Go Reality Resection Trainer software to a PC platform. The software was subsequently licensed to a surgical training company by the Digital Ventures team of the UW Office of Technology Transfer.

DISBURSEMENTS BY YEAR

Total: $1,033,989 FY2009-2010 (partial)
Total: $1,988,733 FY2008-2009
Total: $944,541 FY2007-2008
Total: $1,589,163 FY2006-2007
Total: $970,467 FY2005-2006
Total: $3,279,992 FY2004-2005
Total: $2,004,320 FY2003-2004
Total: $945,500 FY2002-2003
Total: $965,500 FY2001-2002
Total: $2,002,520 FY2000-2001
Total: $1,438,590 FY1999-2000
Total: $576,355 FY1998-1999
Total: $60,000 FY1997-1998
Total: $660,000 FY1996-1997
Total: $750,000 FY1995-1996
Total: $2,000,000 Prior to 1995

WRF GIFTS 1994-2008

$20MILLION

WRF Gifts 1994-2007 Pie Graph. Commercialization: $1,617,864; Faculty: $8,511,621; Projects: $1,641,239; General: $336,000; Students: $3,506,979; Teaching: $1,396,500; Building: $2,100,000;

CUMULATIVE SUPPORT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

In addition, UW received stock in Numinous, Ostex, and Immersion worth approximately $10 million, as a result of WRF license agreements.

Cumulative support to the UW graph (millions of dollars vs year), exponential growth from 1987 at $0 million to 2007 at $190 million

WASHINGTON RESEARCH FOUNDATION SUPPORT TO UW

WRF support to UW graph (millions of dollars vs year), resembling an exponential growth graph from 1987 at $0 million to 2007 at $35 million with an abnormal peak in 1993 at $10 million and a valley in 1996 at $4 million. Discontinuity from 2006 at $14 million to 2007 at $35 million.