The Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) is a research center in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW–Madison, where faculty, scientists, students, and staff examine the connections among natural resources, technology, policy, human health, security, and changes in the global environment.

Founded in 1946 by two UW–Madison professors, the Engine Research Center (ERC) is the largest academic research center focused on internal combustion engines in the U.S. and serves as a national resource for information on combustion engine science and technology.

The Granger Institute for Engineering is a trans-disciplinary research institute in UW–Madison’s College of Engineering. Funded with a $25 million commitment from The Grainger Foundation of Lake Forest, Illinois, the Institute promotes collaborative research and drives technological breakthroughs that enhance the success of U.S. industries and drive economic growth in the nation.

The Wisconsin Energy Institute is the primary home of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC). One of three bioenergy research centers established by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2007, GLBRC is led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with Michigan State University as a major partner.

The NSF-sponsored Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Center brings together teams of researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to address a critical void in knowledge involving disordered materials, and the emergence of order from disordered materials.

The Power Systems Engineering Research Center (PSERC) was created in 1996 as a National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Center to address key challenges in creating a modern electric energy infrastructure. Under the banner of PSERC, 39 industries and 13 U.S. universities are working collaboratively to support:

Founded in 1954, UW–Madison's Solar Energy Lab (SEL) is the oldest of its kind in the world and has been awarded the highest distinction given by the International Solar Energy Society, the Weeks award, for outstanding achievements in developing practical uses of solar energy. The SEL’s mission is to educate students through research experiences in solar and conventional energy utilization

Positioned within the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, SSEC is a research and development center focusing on geophysical research and technology to enhance our understanding of the atmosphere of Earth, the other planets in our Solar System, and the cosmos.

The Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium (WEMPEC) is an internationally renowned research group established at UW–Madison in 1981.

The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) is a research institute on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison built to develop a new approach to science driven by unlikely collaborations and great minds from across the campus and the world. WID's mission is to discover and inspire through interdisciplinary research conducted in a dynamic, collaborative community.

The Wisconsin Institute of Nuclear Systems (WINS) was created in UW–Madison’s College of Engineering in 2001 with a mission to promote research, education, and public service related to nuclear systems.

The Wisconsin Materials Institute (WMI) enables collaborative, high-impact materials science and development at University of Wisconsin–Madison and beyond. As an umbrella organization at UW–Madison, WMI provides a gateway for campus materials activities, research and findings.