Public Universities and Regional Growth examines evolutions in research and innovation at six University of California campuses. Each chapter presents a deep, historical analysis that traces the dynamic interaction between particular campuses and regional firms in industries that range from biotechnology, scientific instruments, and semiconductors, to software, wine, and wireless technologies. The book provides a uniquely comprehensive and cohesive look at the University of California's complex relationships with regional entrepreneurs. As a leading public institution, the UC is an examplar for other institutions of higher education at a time when the potential and value of these universities is under scrutiny. Any yet, by recent accounts, public research universities performed nearly 70% of all academic research and approximately 60% of federally funded R&D in the United States. Thoughtful and distinctive, Public Universities and Regional Growth illustrates the potential for universities to drive knowledge-based growth while revealing the California system as a uniquely powerful engine for innovation across its home state.
"There are many myths about the role modern research universities play in industrial innovation. This is the most detailed and informative study on this subject to date. It illuminates the complex reality at work and is a must-read for anyone interested in this topic."
Global Development
"In sum, the pattern of university-industry interaction depicted in these case studies underscores the diverse and complex channels through which research flows between the two, with the university research community frequently benefiting from key innovations and research funding provided by geographic clusters of local industry . . . Collectively, these chapters caution against relying on static
Economic Georgraphy
"Very few scholars understand the commercial application of university science as well as Martin Kenney and David Mowery; they were among the first to analyze how critical technology transfer is for economic growth. To have these leaders of the field team up to edit a sterling collection of studies of university-industry relations in the University of California system is not only an intellectual
