Dive Brief:
- With research money occupying an increasingly important funding role for universities, schools are grappling with the tension between practical (and possibly profitable) research and more fundamental theoretical work.
- At the University of Washington, President Michael K. Young is steering the school toward partnerships with the tech community, creating a fund that will invest in companies that come out of the school's research.
- Young says his strategy is working: Despite government budget cuts, his school saw an increase in research money.
Dive Insight:
If a university can be both commercially fruitful and serve the public good, just about everybody wins and few complain. It's when the balance tilts too far away from the public that critics may find fault with pursuing private partnerships and commercial research goals.
