University Research Park celebrates 40th anniversary!

In 1984, Los Angeles held the Summer Olympics. Rolling Stone called 1984 “Pop’s Greatest Year” with Prince releasing Purple Rain, Madonna topping the charts with Like a Virgin, and Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun dominating the airwaves. It was also the year Van Halen gave us 1984. Apple debuted the Macintosh and audiences first saw Murder, She Wrote and Miami Vice. The TED conference and Cirque du Soleil were launched, and Virgin Atlantic made its first flight.

Here in Madison, the Badgers beat Ohio State, UW Hospital performed its first liver transplant, and, with support from the community, Chancellor Irving Shain founded University Research Park.

Just as 1984 was a turning point for pop culture and innovation worldwide, it marked the beginning of a groundbreaking journey for Madison’s own innovation community.

On November 21 we celebrated four decades of business, innovation, and entrepreneurship, made possible by the support of the University of Wisconsin, the Madison community, and our tenants.

THANK YOU!