Category Archives: Policy

Time for Research Policy–and Rhetoric–to Change

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

Over at Remaking the University, Christopher Newfield has a new essay about higher education policy. It is well worth the read. Newfield’s primary focus is the lack of policy movement in university administrations, despite chronic lack of funding–“permausterity,” as he calls … Continue reading →

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The Bully Pulpit

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

University of Washington president Michael Young gave a brief talk on technology transfer as he opened Fluke Hall as a startup incubator. In the talk, among other things Young challenged C4C, the UW licensing operation, to double the number of … Continue reading →

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The President's Speech

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

Here is a transcript I made of UW President Michael Young’s remarks on the opening of Fluke Hall as an incubator for UW startup companies, February 2, 2012 from video available at GeekWire. These remarks are the foundation, it appears, for … Continue reading →

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How University Capitalism Suppresses Business Opportunity

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

The Washington Business Alliance has just posted a discussion of the University of Washington’s Center for Commercialization. The WBA still presents C4C’s published information on startups as facts, but then offers some alternative, even contrarian, perspectives on the claims–something that no-one … Continue reading →

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4 Not 17 University of Washington Startups in FY13

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

[Update: There are only 4 FY13 companies on UW’s list for FY13–but UW’s list for FY14 adds 8 9 more, even while being wrong about 17 of the 18 companies it claims for FY14–crazy! 2nd update: The UW vice chancellor … Continue reading →

Posted in Bozonet, Metrics, Policy, Technology Transfer | 1 Comment

Tesla's Patent Move That Universities Must Also Make

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

Tesla Motors, the electric car manufacturer, has released all of its patents to its competitors. A search at the USPTO for patents and patent applications assigned to Tesla Motors returns 169 issued US patents and 231 published applications. No doubt … Continue reading →

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The University Conversion Experience, Part 2

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

In Part I of “The University Conversion Experience” I described the problems faced when an organization supported by a university becomes trapped in claims by the university administration that the university owns the organization for having supported it. In Part … Continue reading →

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The University Conversion Experience, Part 1

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

The second “pillar” of university innovation is the formation of “projects.” But just what is a project, and why are projects so important? To get into this subject, let’s start with some particulars and work out. Consider, first, the problem … Continue reading →

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Dystopia, Imagination, Innovation

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

Linda McGovern, in a web article from 1999, points out the following passage: Some of my youthful readers are developing wonderful imaginations. This pleases me. Imagination has brought mankind through the Dark Ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination … Continue reading →

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Seeking that "Oh, Ass" Moment

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Gerald Barnett

The Oh, Ass Moment In The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells, the narrator, Bedford, a would-be businessman partnered with Cavor, an inventive genius with no social aspirations, finds himself in a bit of a pickle on the moon, … Continue reading →

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