From research growth and stronger infrastructure to new partnerships and expanded support for learners, faculty, and staff, the 2021–26 Basic Sciences Strategic Plan helped position basic sciences at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health for even greater impact in the years ahead. As the plan sunsets, it sets the stage for implementation of research priorities and goals in the new School of Medicine and Public Health’s Strategic Plan.

The 2021–26 Basic Sciences Strategic Plan was designed to strengthen the foundation of discovery at the School of Medicine and Public Health. Framed around innovation, collaboration, and fundamental research, it outlined a roadmap to support trainees, faculty, and staff, expand research infrastructure, foster new connections, and invest in areas with the greatest potential to advance health in Wisconsin and beyond.

As the plan reaches its close, the results demonstrate just how much was accomplished. The plan helped drive measurable growth across the school, deepened collaboration, and created systems and partnerships that will continue to support high-impact science well into the future.

Advancing research and discovery

One of the clearest signs of progress is the growth of the school’s research enterprise. The school supported basic, clinical, translational, and population health research in ways that contributed to a 40% increase in research expenditures, from $374.2 million in 2019–20 to $526.3 million in 2023–24.

The plan also helped strengthen the school’s position in emerging opportunities. School leaders aligned with major campus initiatives including RISE-AI and RISE-THRIVE, while also securing NIH and WARF support to advance theronostics research infrastructure that will transform fundamental and translational medical science.

Strengthening training and community

A key priority of the strategic plan was to strengthen the environment for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees. That effort included the 2025 launch of the Interdisciplinary Biomedical and Health Sciences Consortium, which created a richer and more connected scientific community across nine graduate programs.

The school also invested in connection and visibility across its research community. SMPH Collaborate, a networking event series for researchers, which launched in 2022, created new opportunities for investigators, researchers, and learners to share discoveries and build community, while postdoctoral travel awards added new recognition for outstanding scholarly work.

Supporting faculty and staff success

The plan produced important progress in how the school defines and rewards excellence. Faculty promotion criteria were revised to more clearly recognize collaborative research, service and outreach, quality mentoring, and contributions to the well-being of communities in Wisconsin and beyond.

At the same time, the school improved mentoring and promotions oversight in departments, advocated for mentoring to be recognized in tenure guidelines, and expanded campus-wide the MATRIX mentoring program, which helps early-career faculty land their first NIH R01 grant or equivalent. In 2025, the school also established the Dean’s Research Staff Awards to honor outstanding contributions by research staff.

Expanding infrastructure and strategic partnerships

The strategic plan also strengthened the structures that make ambitious science possible. The school combined administrative oversight of shared research resources with the UW Carbone Cancer Center, expanded medRISE support during periods of high grant volume and staffing shortages, and created the Research Funding Opportunities @ SMPH newsletter to connect investigators with timely funding opportunities.

Externally, the school advanced data-sharing agreements with UW Health and other clinical partners, including Meriter, and helped lead the effort to establish the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub. That work resulted in $50 million in Phase 2 federal funding to an 18-member consortium and more than $75 million in total investment to support personalized medicine, improved health outcomes, and economic development across Wisconsin.

Building momentum for the future

Additional agreements with industry partners and a new health research collaboration with the Sokaogon Chippewa Community further extended the reach of the plan. Taken together, these accomplishments show that the 2021–26 Basic Sciences Strategic Plan did more than meet its goals: it built lasting momentum for discovery, collaboration, and impact.