> Last updated: Wednesday 18 February 1998 > > http://www.vancouversun.com > > Universities reap windfall from research > > BOSTON (AP) - Universities and colleges in the > United States and Canada are cashing in on their > faculties' inventions to the tune of more than > $500-million US a year, according to a new report. > > The schools made $592 million US from licences and > royalties in 1996, the last year for which the > figures are available, the Association of University > Technology Managers said in a report to be released > Wednesday. > > That's up from $495 million the year before and a > 167 per cent increase in five years. > > This growth comes even as research spending by > government and private industry has slowed and > colleges and universities are seeking new ways to > raise money. > > "Look at it as a hard-earned windfall," said Marvin > Guthrie, the association's president and > vice-president of patents and licensing at > Massachusetts General Hospital. > > "You've got research, you've got the successful > transfer of research information to a company, the > company hires people. So there is a return all the > way down: people hold their jobs, the investors make > money, some of the money goes back to the university > in the form of royalties and everybody benefits." > > Developing and marketing products that originated > from academic research pumped an estimated $25 > billion US into the American and Canadian economies > and supported 212,500 jobs in 1996, according to the > association's study. > > Such products range from cutting-edge > bio-pharmaceuticals to a soap that protects against > infection from tick bites developed at Harvard, a > high-yield hybrid cotton patented by the University > of Arizona, orthodonture wire made from titanium > invented at the University of Connecticut and grass > grown at the University of Nebraska that needs less > mowing, watering and fertilizer. > > Critics worry closer ties between academia and the > private sector may transform universities into > industrial laboratories, focused only on potentially > money-making research. They worry some schools may > soon put pressure on their research faculties to > focus on those areas most likely to produce a > profit. > > "Money is a pretty strong driver, and as the money > gets bigger, the push to get more involved in things > that have a potential for making big money gets > stronger and stronger," said Jules LaPidus, > president of the Council of Graduate Schools. > > But university authorities point out that licence > fees and royalties from patents represent a fraction > of the $21.4 billion US a year in research conducted > by the 173 universities and colleges surveyed. > > Collectively, American and Canadian colleges and > universities awarded a record 2,741 licences to > private industry to develop products based on their > research. The schools applied for 3,261 patents, up > 11 per cent from 1995. > > > > >
