Morgridge Institute for Research

What Morgridge Institute for Research does

Morgridge Institute for Research is a private, nonprofit biomedical research institute headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, operating in public-private partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison within the 40,000-square-foot Discovery Building. Founded in 2010 as an evolution of the institution where James Thomson isolated human embryonic stem cells in 1998, Morgridge conducts interdisciplinary research across regenerative biology, virology, metabolism, biomedical imaging, research computing, and bioethics. The institute's primary technology outputs are open-source bioimage analysis platforms—ImageJ, Fiji, and CellProfiler—developed by its investigators (notably Kevin Eliceiri) and distributed globally through the Center for Open Bioimage Analysis (COBA) and the image.sc community forum, which draws over one million monthly visitors. Additional proprietary and open-source research technologies include FLIM Playground (FLIM analysis software), Optical Metabolic Imaging (Skala Lab), quantum-correlation super-resolution microscopy (Bartels), and cryo-EM methods.

The institute's business model is nonprofit grant-funded research: primary revenue flows from federal research grants (NIH, NSF, NIGMS, DOE) including a $20 million Department of Energy partnership, a multi-year NIGMS R24 National Resource grant, and NSF SBIR awards; secondary streams include philanthropic donations (donor-funded named chairs, annual donor reports) and technology transfer/licensing through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). Commercial translation occurs primarily via spinoff companies, most notably SHINE Technologies (nuclear fusion, founded by Greg Piefer while at Morgridge) and SeLight (CAR T cancer immunotherapy). As a nonprofit, Morgridge does not price its core open-source software or research outputs; distribution is free to the global scientific research community, with community engagement and conference programming (BINA Congress, Wisconsin Stem Cell Symposium, Throughput Computing Week) functioning as go-to-market channels for influence rather than revenue.

The institute's served audiences are primarily academic and government biomedical researchers using its imaging tools and methods, with secondary engagement with healthcare/biotech entities (CAR T providers via SeLight) and the pharmaceutical industry for drug discovery applications. The institute is currently in a CEO transition following Brad Schwartz's retirement announcement, with the Board conducting a search for the next CEO.

Name

Morgridge Institute for Research

Legal name

The Morgridge Institute for Research, Inc.

Website

https://morgridge.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Morgridge Institute for Research is a private, nonprofit biomedical research institute in Madison, WI, partnering with UW-Madison to develop open-source bioimage analysis tools (ImageJ, Fiji, CellProfiler) and conduct research in regenerative biology, virology, metabolism, and biomedical imaging for the global scientific community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scientific Data Management & Data Platforms (SDMS/Data Lakehouse for R&D) (HLAGAJAC), Digital & AI-Enabled Diagnostics (algorithmic interpretation, decision support tied to assays) (HLAAALAO)

Keywords

• Biomedical research services
• Open-source bioimaging software
• Regenerative biology research
• Fluorescence lifetime imaging
• Cryo-EM structural biology

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Research Grants: Primary funding from NIH, NSF, NIGMS, and DOE grants including SBIR funding for cancer immunotherapy startup SeLight and R24 National Resource grants for open-source image analysis tools.
2. Technology Transfer and Licensing: Commercialization of research through spinoff companies like SHINE Technologies, with WARF managing patents and licensing.
3. Philanthropic Donations: Donor-funded named professorships and research support, with annual donor reports and giving programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Morgridge Institute for Research is a private, nonprofit biomedical research institute that conducts interdisciplinary fundamental research in regenerative biology, virology, metabolism, and biomedical imaging to drive advances in human health. Its core outputs include widely adopted open-source bioimage analysis software tools (ImageJ, Fiji, CellProfiler, FLIM Playground), advanced imaging methodologies such as cryo-EM, optical metabolic imaging, and super-resolution microscopy, and technology transfer to spin-off companies like SHINE Technologies and SeLight.

Product overview

The Morgridge Institute for Research is a private, nonprofit biomedical research institute that develops open-source bioimaging software tools and conducts interdisciplinary research in regenerative biology, metabolism, virology, and biomedical imaging. Its core software products include FLIM Playground (an open-source FLIM analysis tool), and it supports major open-source bioimage analysis platforms including ImageJ, Fiji, and CellProfiler. The institute also produces spin-off companies including SHINE Technologies (nuclear fusion) and SeLight (cancer immunotherapy), while providing research technologies such as cryo-EM methods and optical metabolic imaging. A monthly newsletter (SPARK) disseminates research findings to the scientific community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FLIM Playground An interactive, open-source, end-to-end software application that simplifies Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) analysis pipelines, designed for biomedical imaging researchers seeking to reduce the time and expertise burden of standard FLIM workflows.
• ImageJ

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2025WARF manages intellectual property and patents for UW-Madison and Morgridge technologies. The foundation selected SeLight for its 2018 Innovation Award and Accelerator Program, and WARF's technology transfer enabled SHINE Technologies spinoff development.
• GE HealthCareflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between WARF, GE HealthCare, and UW-Madison has successfully translated scientific research into clinical medical technologies. The partnership focuses on advancing precision medicine through innovations like AI-enhanced imaging and theranostics, with UW researchers gaining access to GE's imaging technology for global use.
• Broad InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeth Cimini of Broad Institute serves as co-PI on NIGMS R24 National Resource grant to advance open-source image analysis tools including ImageJ, Fiji, and CellProfiler. The collaboration strengthens and expands tools for the global scientific research community.
• Center for Open Bioimage Analysis (COBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOBA is home to ImageJ software development and sponsors the image.sc discussion forum with over one million monthly visitors. Over six years of joint work through COBA culminated in NIGMS R24 National Resource grant validation.
• SHINE TechnologiesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMorgridge spinoff company founded by Greg Piefer, advancing cutting-edge fusion-based solutions for healthcare (medical isotope production), clean energy, national security, and nuclear waste recycling. Piefer was CEO while technology was developed at Morgridge.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/morgridge_inst
• Facebookfacebook.com/morgridgeinstituteforresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Morgridge Institute for Research