DSI seeks to collaborate with industry partners who are interested in tapping into our wealth of data science expertise to catalyze innovation of products, services, and solutions. When you partner with DSI, you harness the power of data science and access resources at our world-class university to fuel your success.
Founding industry partner
American Family Insurance
DSI offers opportunities to:
- Expose your team to new ways of approaching challenges with data-driven decision making and artificial intelligence.
- Collaborate with UW–Madison researchers on projects aligned with your needs and interests.
- Work closely with DSI data scientists to glean insights and solutions from enterprise data.
- Share best practices being developed in industry and academia for topics such as responsible and ethical data science.
- Connect with experts to learn more about emerging topics such as generative AI.
- Support activities that have a positive impact on society.
You can partner with DSI to:
- Access data science services through a fee-for-service agreement.
- Sponsor research at UW–Madison aligned with your needs and interests.
- Connect with the next generation of data scientists by providing projects for students enrolled in one of the many experiential learning courses on campus.
- Provide or support internship opportunities for students.
- Collaborate on grant funding opportunities targeting public-private partnerships.
- Associate your brand with data science at UW–Madison through DSI.
Case Study: Machine Learning, Weather Data, and Risk
“The DSI is a great example of a public and private relationship that can push the boundaries of data science and AI. American Family benefits from having access to world class scientists to explore new ideas that can create value for our employees, our partners, and our policy holders.”
– Brad Burke, Chief Technology Officer, American Family Insurance
As part of American Family Insurance’s relationship with DSI, American Family partnered with Dr. Michael Morgan, Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, through a sponsored research agreement. Morgan worked on a cutting-edge ensemble weather forecasting system to predict how catastrophic weather might affect American Family’s customers and business.
In the insurance industry, most property claims result from catastrophes. Predicting wind damage to property from tornadoes, hurricanes, and other severe weather is a particular challenge. Dr. Morgan and American Family data scientists used techniques from machine learning to pull together disparate weather data and fuse it with policy and claims data. As a result, American Family can better forecast storm-related claims and anticipate customer service needs.
This innovation has generated ROI by providing a competitive advantage for Opterrix, an American Family subsidiary that offers weather-related, proactive risk management. Ben Zimmerman, CEO of Opterrix, says that partners at UW “…have been incredibly collaborative. They know what we’re trying to do, and they are always prepared to share what they’ve discovered and where there are more opportunities.”
How do we start?
We encourage you to contact Kyle Cranmer, David R. Anderson Director, to discuss your ideas and learn more about partnership opportunities with DSI.