[Wisconsin] Gov. Doyle unveiled plans to invest nearly $750 million to bolster stem cell research

Gov. Jim Doyle unveiled plans to invest nearly $750 million to bolster stem cell research and other scientific efforts in Wisconsin.

The governor wants to use a combination of public and private money to pay for his strategy, which would include a new $375 million research institute that would house laboratories for stem cell and other biomedical research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Doyle said Wednesday the effort would build on nearly $1 billion the state has spent on high-tech facilities during the past 15 years.

"Other states, like California, are trying to play catch-up and build from scratch what we already have here," Doyle said.

California residents voted Nov. 2 to spend $3 billion in state money over the next 10 years on stem cell research, which is touted as a potential cure for spinal cord injuries and diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes.

Doyle said efforts in California will help Wisconsin scientists because researchers there have to pay royalties to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which holds the basic patents for stem cell technology. That money gets...