Can university-based scientific research contribute to the economic development of a region? Can it generate wealth for the university? American universities are under increasing pressure to maximize their economic contributions. Tapping the Riches of Science offers a rigorous and far-sighted explanation of this controversial and little-understood movement.

Just how do universities contribute to innovation in industry? How have state legislatures promoted local university commitments to economic relevance? And how has the pressure to be economically productive affected the core academic missions of teaching and research? Drawing from a range of social science analyses, campus interviews, and examples of university-industry partnerships, Roger Geiger and Creso Sa reveal the ways that economic development has been incorporated into university commitments.

Noting enduring cultural differences between the academic and business worlds, Geiger and Sa deflate both suspicious and overconfident views. They show how elusive success can be for embryonic discoveries with as-yet-unclear applications. Warning against promising-and expecting-too much, Tapping the Riches of Science nonetheless makes a strong case for the long-term promise of practical uses for academic research.

An outstanding guide to the new 'fourth mission' of universities: expanding science and engineering for the sake of economic growth. Geiger and Sa give a one-book bird's-eye view of the much-praised and much-criticized programs (and new layers of administration) aimed at encouraging patents, technology transfer, company spin-offs, and corporate partnerships. They see potential in this 'fourth mission,' but warn its boosters just how difficult it is to make real money from academic research. -- Daniel S. Greenberg, author of Science for Sale: The Perils, Rewards, and Delusions of Campus Capitalism

About the Author
Roger L. Geiger is Distinguished Professor of Education at Pennsylvania State University and Professor in Charge of the Higher Education Program. Creso M. Sa is Assistant Professor in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

Reviews
An outstanding guide to the new 'fourth mission' of universities: expanding science and engineering for the sake of economic growth. Geiger and Sa give a one-book bird's-eye view of the much-praised and much-criticized programs (and new layers of administration) aimed at encouraging patents, technology transfer, company spin-offs, and corporate partnerships. They see potential in this 'fourth mission,' but warn its boosters just how difficult it is to make real money from academic research. -- Daniel S. Greenberg, author of Science for Sale: The Perils, Rewards, and Delusions of Campus Capitalism
For most universities today, is a fact of life that they have to co-operate closely with industry and be "econmically relevant." In Tapping the Riches of Science, Roger Geiger and Creso Sa give a thorough review of the impact of the recent move towards more economic relevance in universities in the U.S. Their analysis, measured and meticulous, has much to inform university policymakers in other countries too, especially the UK. -- Graham Farmelo * Times Higher Education *
This is a fascinating...examination of the changing relationships among universities, business, and government in supporting scientific research in the U.S. since the early 1980s...[The authors] provide an excellent discussion of how economic relevance has become a central element in the mission of major universities throughout the country. In doing so, [Geiger and Sa] catalog the changes in federal funding, state policy, and university organization that have substantially altered the context for scientific research in the past three decades. The authors are well versed in recent research relevant to their topic and do an excellent job of distilling and summarizing this material in an accessible manner. Anyone involved or interested in higher education management, science policy, or economic development will find much of value here. -- J. L. Rosenbloom * Choice *



Book Information
ISBN 9780674031289
Author Roger L. Geiger
Format Hardback
Page Count 262
Imprint Harvard University Press
Publisher Harvard University Press