Wisconsin's largest cities have synergies to make tech hub flourish with new partnership

Less than 80 miles separate Milwaukee from Madison. The 75-minute drive between the two cities would be a typical trip into work for many residents in large metros across the United States.

That short distance and easy commute should lend to a mutually beneficial partnership – especially when it comes to economic development and job creation – between Wisconsin’s two most populous cities.

Unfortunately, and for too long, the communities have been largely siloed. Traditionally manufacturing-focused Milwaukee has oftentimes failed to collaborate with Madison - the state’s center of academic research and vice-versa.

Those days need to come to an end.

$49 million awarded to Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub Consortium

Thanks to the hard work of 18 public and private partners making up the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub Consortium, the region was awarded $49 million in federal funds and named one of 12 U.S. Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs last month.

Advocates across party lines, including Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Gov. Tony Evers, State Sen. Duey Stroebel, Rep Amanda Nedweski and others in the Wisconsin legislature helped bring that designation over the finish line. This is what leadership looks like – Republicans and Democrats at the state and federal level in legislative and executive branches working together to better the Wisconsin economy.

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The designation, focused here on biohealth and personalized medicine, is expected to create more than 30,000 direct jobs, 110,000 indirect jobs and produce a $9 billion economic impact over the next decade. Those are changemaking numbers – numbers that provide a bright future for the generation of today and those to come.

These developments open the door for collaboration between Milwaukee and Madison like never before. The distinct attributes that differentiate the cities are the same ones that position us for success in 2024 and well beyond.

Collaboration between Madison and Milwaukee long overdue

Madison serves as the innovator – home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where research is king. The school ranks eighth in nation for research expenditures among public and private universities according to the National Science Foundation with more than $1.5 billion invested annually. UW also ranks high in patents granted – 12th in 2023. Additionally, the city’s startup scene is consistently ranked within the top-150 ecosystems globally. This innovation leads to products that need to be manufactured. Enter Milwaukee.

Milwaukee serves as the maker – a locale with a proud legacy of manufacturing. The area ranks second among major U.S. metros in percentage of workforce employed in manufacturing. The output is diverse – from basic parts to the most technologically advanced industrial controls. There’s no doubt, Milwaukee has the know-how, the infrastructure and the talent to be a leader in the sector for decades to come.

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With the resources available, the economic and workforce development potential in Milwaukee, Madison and that stretch of interstate between is intriguing, to say the least.

But work amongst public and private stakeholders continues to be integral. While the strengths of these two metros provide a synergy, collaboration is key. With political cooperation and a fusion of ideas, Milwaukee and Madison will no longer be situated as islands amongst themselves, but rather two ends of a thriving corridor. Over the past 10 years we’ve witnessed impressive growth between the Chicago and Milwaukee metro, the time has now come to see economic growth between the Milwaukee and Madison metro.

One plus one doesn’t always equal two. It can equal four, five and even beyond. Our tech hub designation spanning the Milwaukee-Madison corridor is a big step in realizing wealth and job creation through intentional partnership.

Dale Kooyenga is president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. Jason Fields is president of the Madison Region Economic Partnership.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Federal technology innovation hubs can transform Wisconsin's economy