Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
organizing principles for strategically realigning
American regional research universities
Michael M. Crow
Executive Vice Provost of the University
Professor of Science and Technology Policy
Columbia University
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
1900
Machine tools
Firearms
Clocks
Sewing machines
Hardware
Agricultural implements
Bicycles
Steel
Electrification
Telegraphy/Telephony
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
2000
Microelectronics
Biotechnology
New materials science industries
Telecommunications
Computer numerically controlled machine tools
and robots
Civilian aircraft manufacturing
Computers (hardware and software)
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
2030
Nanotechnology
Biomimicry
Biomaterials
Bioelectronics
Biocomputing
Artificial Intelligence
Knowledge Management
Planetary Management
Green Power Technologies
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
The new knowledge-driven economy
Knowledge is our most powerful engine of production
(Alfred Marshall, 1890)
Why is knowledge becoming more important?
•Extraordinary progress in information and communications technology
•Increased speed of scientific and technological advance
•Increased global competition
•Changing demand
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Sustaining economic growth
• Sustaining economic
growth through
knowledge communities
• Producing knowledge vs
importing knowledge
• Positioning regional
economies to be a net
producer of knowledge
Producing knowledge
•Advantages in speed and
diversification
•Multiple large- and smallscale fundamental science
enterprises
•Capacity to incubate
knowledge enterprises
•Setting conducive to
establishing knowledge
networks
•Ready providers and brokers
of financial and knowledge
venture capital
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Requirements for science-driven
economic diversification
• Broadly-scoped regional innovation system
• Markets conducive to risk taking
• Policies conducive to the development of
fundamental public investment in research and
development infrastructure
–
–
–
–
Universities
Computational technology
Networking infrastructure
Early-stage venture financing
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Positioning the region:
Trends in science and technology
• Movement away from a silicon-based electronics
economy
• Increased rates of technical advance and
revolutionary breakthroughs in molecular scale
manipulation
• Wave of technology integration and societal
transformation (nanotechnology)
• Expansion of science through field integration and
subsequent new field and new technology
development
• Genetically-modified everything
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Knowledge in both its fundamental and
more applied forms has been and will
increasingly become the foundation on
which global economic and social
development will be built in the 21st
century.
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Scientific knowledge is growing
exponentially
• Scientific creativity is a rare and valuable commodity.
• 15% of published scientists produce 60 - 70% of the
scientific literature in the United States; a small
percentage produce the lion’s share of the world’s
stock of knowledge.
• The distribution of this talent is skewed: a high
percentage of the most creative scientists are based
at the top 20 research universities.
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Research university as a fundamental
institutional innovation
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Promise of Pasteur’s Quadrant
Research not Inspired by Research Inspired by
Considerations of Use
Considerations of Use
I.
Research Inspired by a Quest
for Fundamental
Understanding
Research is not Inspired by a
Quest for Fundamental
Understanding
II.
Pure Basic
Research
IV.
Use Inspired
Basic
Research
III.
Purely
Applied
Research
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
General environment and interactions
Innovation and
Development
Environments
(Silicon Valley, Rt. 128,
San Diego, Research Triangle)
Over 100 identified areas
of ‘critical mass’ in a range of
technology areas.
Academic Infrastructure
(Ideas, discoveries, inventions and
trained personnel)
Knowledgeand
Innovation-Driven
Firms
•Over 75 major R&D universities
•Thousands of centers
•Tens of thousands of funding
training groups
Market and Capital
Government Policy
Environment
(funding, taxes, procurement,
incentives, regulations,
intellectual property)
• Large scale
investment in
R&D funding
and
procurement.
• R&D support
policies are
very strong.
(risk capital,
national/international
markets, free trade
environment)
•Large and significant markets
•Significant risk capital
•Elaborate managerial and
decision capability
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Impacts of university research
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Institutional origin of papers cited in
IBM patents
Other Foreign
24
Foreign Companies
84
Foreign Universities
69
Other US
22
Other U.S. Companies
66
IBM
103
U.S. Universities
123
0
50
100
Number of References
150
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Distribution of U.S. scientific and
technical articles, by sector: 1995-97
3% 1%
7%
1%
8%
8%
73%
Academic
Industry
Federal government
FFRDCs
State and local governments
Nonprofit
Unknown
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Proximity of lines of business to
science
Ranked by sum of relevance scores across all sciences
Semiconductors and related devices
Measuring and controlling devices
Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills
Drugs
Petroleum refining
Aircraft and parts
Electronic computing equipment
Surgical and medical instruments
Steelworks, rolling
and finishing mills
Communications equipment
Pumps and pumping equipment
Plastic materials and resins
Industrial inorganic chemicals
Plastic products
Perfumes, cosmetics, toilet
preparations
Motors generators, industrial controls
Motor vehicle parts & accessories
Industrial inorganic chemicals
Plastic products
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Equitably distributing the costs and
benefits of science
• Educated policy-makers and leaders in science,
technology and economic development
• Enhanced technological literacy for the general public
• Focused public investments in outcome-driven
science
Universities and Socioeconomic Advance
Universities are the critical element in the
knowledge revolution