On Nov. 14, 1925, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents filed the charter for the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) that was initially funded with donations of $100 from nine University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni.

WARF’s creation can be traced back to UW biochemistry professor Harry Steenbock, who demonstrated in late 1923 that irradiation with ultraviolet light increased the vitamin D content of foods and other materials.

Steenbock filed a patent application with $300 of his own money. Rather than sell his discovery, Steenbock believed that any monetary gains resulting from his work should return to the UW to support scientific research. On Jun. 22, 1925, the UW Board of Regents officially sanctioned the plan, and the charter was filed in November. It subsequently accepted responsibility for managing Steenbock’s pending patent in the field of vitamin D.