University of Wisconsin - Madison

Amount Appropriated?

$1.0M

FFID tracks stages 1–2 — stages 3–5 vary by agency, assistance type, and earmark structure.

Project Description

UW\u2013Madison requests $2.4 million to fund a project to build resiliency and improve service in the university\u2019s helium plant. The project would support current needs and growth of campus research requiring helium. This investment continues to gain importance as regional and national research centers are established on campus. Those investigators are planning to use more and larger magnets, driving up demand for helium from our central utility managed by Physical Plant.\n\nHelium is a key component of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s research activities, enabling millions of dollars in research annually. However, campus\u2019 central helium facility faces significant risk in critical components. The system\u2019s compressors, liquefier and purifier are single points of failure. If any components should fail, the university\u2019s ability to distribute helium will be seriously compromised. Maintenance and repair of the system is a lengthy process.\n\nImpact of the project will be to provide resiliency to the federal grant researchers using helium on campus. The research contributes to increases in revenue and additional funding potential. These research dollars impact the greater good of the community and humanity by raising the economic earning scale and raising the employment numbers coming into the economy as a direct result of the research. Research productivity and the discoveries obtained are cornerstones of the U.S. economic competitive advantage.\n\nHelium is an essential resource needed to maintain state-of-the-art research instrumentation. These instruments collect data 24/7 relevant to human health (National Institutes of Health mission), renewable and sustainable energy production (Department of Energy), advanced materials (National Science Foundation), food security (Department of Agriculture) and many others.