Key Issues Facing Trustees of National Research Universities in the Decade Ahead

[Excerpt] Trustees of public and private research universities have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of their institutions. However, actions that appear to be in the private interests of their institutions may not be in the social interest and these institutions are also expected to serve society as a whole. In deciding what optimal policies are for their institutions, trustees must weigh their institutions’ private interests against the interests of society as whole. In the next section, I discuss seven examples of areas in which trustees will need to make these judgments. Privatization is occurring at both public and private research universities, in the sense that the institutions are becoming more dependent on revenue streams generated from third parties. Examples are increased external funding of research, attempts to commercialize research findings through start-up companies and licensing of patents, increased external support through individual, corporate and foundation giving, and increased revenue from big-time athletics. The third parties providing the funding may push for activities or decisions that are not consistent with the underlying academic values of the institution and the trustees. Section III discusses three examples of how such problems may arise and stresses the importance of the trustees retaining fundamental authority. A final section provides some concluding remarks

Promoting Academic Entrepreneurship in Europe and the United States: Creating an Intellectual Property Regime to Facilitate the Efficient Transfer of Knowledge from the Lab to the Patient

In 2014, the European Commission announced the launch of a study of knowledge transfer by public research organizations and other institutes of higher learning “to determine which additional measures might be needed to ensure an optimal flow of knowledge between the public research organisations and business thereby contributing to the development of the knowledge based economy.” As the European Commission has recognized, the European Union (“EU”) needs to take action to “unlock the potential of IPRs [intellectual property rights] that lie dormant in universities, research institutes and companies.” This article builds on our earlier work on structuring efficient pharmaceutical public-private partnerships (“PPPPs”), but focuses on the regulatory infrastructure necessary to support the efficient commercialization of publicly funded university medical research in both the European Union and the United States (“U.S.”). Our comparative analysis of the EU and U.S. approaches to translational medicine shows that there are lessons to be shared. The EU can apply the experiences from the U.S. Bayh-Dole Act and PPPPs in the United States, and the United States can emulate certain of the open innovation aspects of the European Innovative Medicines Initiative and the tighter patenting standards imposed by the European Patent Office. Thus, a secondary purpose of this article is suggesting amendments to the U.S. laws governing the patenting and licensing of government-funded technology to prevent undue burdens on the sharing of certain upstream medical discoveries and research tools

Analyzing the Effectiveness of University Technology Transfer: Implications for Entrepreneurship Education

We review and synthesize the burgeoning literature on institutions and agents engaged in the commercialization of university-based intellectual property. These studies indicate that institutional incentives and organizational practices both play an important role in enhancing the effectiveness of technology transfer. We conclude that university technology transfer should be considered from a strategic perspective. Institutions that choose to stress the entrepreneurial dimension of technology transfer need to address skill deficiencies in technology transfer offices (TTOs), reward systems that are inconsistent with enhanced entrepreneurial activity, and education/training for faculty members, post-docs, and graduate students relating to interactions with entrepreneurs. Business schools at these universities can play a major role in addressing these skill and educational deficiencies, through the delivery of targeted programs to technology licensing officers and members of the campus community wishing to launch startup firms.

Alaska after Prudhoe Bay: Sustainability of an Island Economy

A paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association Monterey, CaliforniaThe typical sovereign island economy is small and remote. For example the remote island nations of Nauru, Niue, and Saint Helena have populations in the range of 10 thousand each. Of course not all island nations are small or remote and neither are small or remote economies necessarily islands. However it is useful to think about the economies of small and remote islands because they can help us to understand the economic structure and prospects of larger and less remote places. Island economies generally lack a comparative advantage in the production of goods or services for export to the rest of the world. This is due to distance from markets and suppliers as well as an absence of economies of scale and specialization, both of which drive up the cost of exporting goods and services. And although the economic theory of comparative advantage tells us that trade among countries can occur even if one has an advantage in the production of all goods and services, that theory can break down if costs in the small and remote economy are too high. The mechanism by which the island economy gains access to export markets in the presence of high costs is through downward adjustment in the wage. But in some cases the wage would need to become negative to overcome the cost disadvantages created by distance and size. In such a case the island would have a subsistence economy with neither exports to the rest of the world or imports. The most important private economic activities one observes in these economies are agriculture and fishing. Occasionally an island economy will be able to take advantage of a market niche to generate exports. Tourism is the most common, and mining has provided an export base in some other places. However these market activities will not necessarily be large enough to employ a large share of the population. Furthermore dependence on a single activity leaves these economies vulnerable or “precarious”.As a consequence many of these economies are dependent on foreign aid and remittances from emigrants. These funds allow these economies to purchase a basic level of imports that would not otherwise be possibleNorthrim Bank. University of Alaska Foundation

New Hampshire University Research and Industry Plan: A Roadmap for Collaboration and Innovation

This University Research and Industry plan for New Hampshire is focused on accelerating innovation-led development in the state by partnering academia’s strengths with the state’s substantial base of existing and emerging advanced industries. These advanced industries are defined by their deep investment and connections to research and development and the high-quality jobs they generate across production, new product development and administrative positions involving skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)

CONTRIBUTION OF THE NORTH DAKOTA AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS UTILIZATION COMMISSION PROGRAMS TO THE STATE ECONOMY

The North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) has the mission of creating new wealth and jobs through the development of new and expanded uses for North Dakota agricultural products. The Commission administers four grant programs encompassing basic and applied research, farm diversification, marketing and utilization, and prototype development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Commission's success in attaining its goals. The project team examined the outcomes of a sample of grant recipients from each program type to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the program in meeting its stated objectives. The time frame for the evaluation was 1995-2004. During the study period, a total of $9.3 million was awarded to 396 projects. Marketing and utilization grants accounted for 54 percent of awards and 70 percent of total funds awarded. The review of the four APUC grant programs indicates that each program appears to be quite successful in meeting its objectives. The farm diversification grantees who were contacted generally indicated that their projects had been implemented as planned, and most had plans to continue or expand their new enterprises. Prototype development by its very nature is a high risk venture, but of seven grant recipients contacted, two had commercialized their products, reporting annual gross revenues of$100,000 and $750,000, respectively. Two others reported that their products were nearing commercialization and were planning to begin marketing in 2007. Basic and applied research grants typically represent front-end efforts to develop and commercialize new products, crops, or value-added opportunities. Several of the basic and applied research grant recipients contacted were able to report very concrete outcomes with substantial economic impacts. Finally, the marketing and utilization grants program supports a diversity of projects directed at market analysis, feasibility studies, business plan development, and related services to support the launch and/or expansion of value-added enterprises. This program has supported the launch of a number of major processing ventures, as well as a number of smaller projects. The larger and more successful projects assisted by this program have made very substantial economic contributions. For example, nine agricultural processing projects supported by APUC during the 1995-2004 period are estimated (when fully operational) to contribute more than$157 million annually to the state economy, to support almost 2,300 new jobs, and to result in $2.4 million in added state sales and use and personal income tax revenues annually. In addition, APUC support has assisted the launch of a number of smaller enterprises which are important to the livelihood of the individual, may provide employment opportunities that would not otherwise exist, and may have potential for future growth.economic development, agricultural processing, North Dakota, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Commercialization of Universities' Intellectual Property: Evaluating Productivity Based on Structure, Research Funding, and Entrepreneurial Aspirations

Purpose The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to provide timely information to technology transfer professionals that may lead to more productive policies and practices in the commercialization of universities’ intellectual property. This investigation provided insights regarding the sources and the productivity of academic research funding. The characteristics and activities of highly performing Technology Transfer Offices were highlighted in this study. The final objective was to determine the effectiveness of industry-university commercial partnerships. Method This study was conducted with non-experimental. causal-comparative, and correlational research designs (Creswell. 2009). Data from the Association of University Technology Managers’ 2011, 2012. and recently released 2013 Licensing Activity Survey Questionnaires were obtained and analyzed through use of inferential statistical procedures. Respondents were technology transfer professionals and/or their designees. Findings Study one was conducted to identify differences between public and private universities in sourcing research funding and in achieving commercialization success. In this investigation, private universities were more adept at procuring federal research funding than public universities. In addition, private research universities had generated a greater amount of licensing income for each dollar of research expenditure. The second study was an investigation of the extent to which the licensing income of U.S. universities could be predicted by five questionnaire items (i.e., Number of Licensing Managers. Number of Licensing Agreements Executed. Number of U.S. Patents Issued. Total Research Expenditures, and Number of Start-Up Companies Initiated) chosen from the surveys. An All Possible Subsets regression analysis revealed that the Number of U.S. Patents Issued was the only statistically significant predictor of licensing income generated from universities' intellectual property for all three survey years analyzed in this investigation. In study three, universities that had accepted equity in start-up companies had statistically significantly higher licensing revenue, in all three years analyzed in this investigation, than universities that did not accept equity positions in start-up ventures. In addition, the number of universities that accepted equity positions in start-up companies increased in each of the three years analyzed in this investigation. However, cashed-in equity fell, as a percentage of total licensing revenue, for the universities that had accepted equity in start-up ventures

Latin American universities and the third mission : trends, challenges, and policy options

Universities in Latin America are increasingly considered instruments of social and economic development and face rising expectations in regard to supplying relevant skills, undertaking applied research, and engaging in commercial activity. The paper discusses trends and challenges within Latin American universities, as well as policy options available for strengthening their contributions to social and economic development. The so-called third mission of universities is often equated with knowledge transfer narrowly defined as licensing and commercialization of research. The paper adopts a broader approach and explores how the new role of universities affects all aspects of academic practice in Latin America, including advanced education and research. It concludes that policymakers and university managers in Latin America face an important challenge of defining a legal framework, sound management procedures, and notably, incentive systems that stimulate outreach and entrepreneurship among students and staff while recognizing and preserving the distinct roles of universities.Tertiary Education,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Rural Development Knowledge&Information Systems,ICT Policy and Strategies,Secondary Education

Understanding the Implications of the Sporting Industry in the United Kingdom and the United States

This thesis is researched, constructed and presented as a dual thesis between Daniel Kelly and Niko Alapartanen. The familiarity of the sport’s industry, for both authors, was an important factor in choosing to base the project and research on this industry. Again, both also study financial management as part of the Haaga-Helia International Business degree program, also known as GloBBA. The sporting industry has not been given much thought amongst students in Finland, at an academic point of view, which was a catalyst in researching the topic. The projected and anticipated outcomes of the paper are to determine the overall impact of the sporting industry in the United States and the United Kingdom, in the form of four main factors. It is determined whether there are similarities or discrepancies in this research be-tween the two performing nations and what causes these situations. Theoretically, the paper comprises two models in which the papers foundation is based on. The main roles of sport model are broken up into the four research factors previously listed. The sports market segment model is also referred to, to obtain further understanding in the mechanics of the industry. The economic sector and the development and impact of commercialization are the deepest topics of research, while political issues as well as social & health impacts are analyzed also. The paper focuses thoroughly on the professional aspect of the sporting industry, while only having a limited coverage on the amateur and fitness facet of the industry. Economic measurements are used as the basis for quantitative data as well as case studies and published journals. Incorporating the factual reality and relating them to the sporting industry’s theoretical models are the methods used to derive a conclusive answer to the re-search statement. Factors such as GDP, unemployment/employment, taxation and the multiplier effect are referred to. Results delivered substantial and interesting findings in regards to both the functionality and impact that the sporting industry has on economic, political and health facets of a nation. It can be established that the driving force behind these results is the rapidly increasing phenomenon of commercialization