I’m probably going to get in trouble for this post because the answer to the title question is yes and no. I am employed by the University of Queensland which prides itself as being the most successful commercializer of research in Australia. However, I have never been convinced by the simple argument that universities matter because they produce groundbreaking research that can be patented and sold to commercial interests. While many academics believe this to be the case, the evidence shows that this is possibly the least important thing that a university can do for the business community.
In a survey of firms in Brisbane, Australia we found that universities were relatively unimportant as sources of innovation. Customers, suppliers and competitors are far more important as sources of innovative ideas. That doesn’t mean that the three universities in Brisbane are doing a bad job or that Brisbane businesses should be trying harder to work with universities because it is similar to the results from other surveys around the world. The following table from a study by Cosh, Hughes and Lester (2006) is typical of this. When firms were asked about valuable sources of ideas for innovation, universities appear down the bottom of the list.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Blogging Innovation » Do Universities Matter for Innovation?
Author:John Steen
