The University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (CDR) is uniquely equipped to help scale up technologies that transform what was formerly seen as a dairy waste stream into new valuable products through bio-fermentation. Located within a licensed dairy processing facility on campus, the CDR offers a full-service pilot plant with highly adaptable, modular state-of-the-art process equipment. This allows researchers and industry partners to move innovative concepts "off the bench" and test them at a pre-commercial scale without the financial burden of a full-scale manufacturing trial. With dedicated pilot plant equipment with bioconversion technology (e.g. filtration, membranes, evaporators, centrifuges, dryers, and bioreactors), the CDR provides the ideal environment for proving the feasibility of converting dairy co-products like permeate and acid whey into new, marketable materials, such as bioplastics, green chemicals, or natural food ingredients.

This positioning is enhanced by the CDR's robust industry/innovation network and deep expertise. As a USDA (Dairy Business Innovation Alliance, DBIA) and EDA (B2S) federally funded dairy innovation and business center, the CDR has the equipment, staff expertise, and federally underwritten programming for accelerating the scaling of technologies and finding commercialization pathways. The center's staff includes over 30 experienced researchers and scientists, offering extensive knowledge in fermentation, dairy manufacturing, process optimization, and troubleshooting. This combination of cutting-edge facilities, hands-on expertise, and financial supports enables the CDR to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial application, providing entrepreneurs with the operational insights and market validation required to bring sustainable dairy waste streams a new valorization (upcycling) and into the marketplace.