As part of the continuing blurring of lines between nonprofits and for-profits, the Wall Street Journal reported last month on the increasing efforts by universities to be incubators for innovative startup companies that take advantage of university resources, including faculty expertise and intellectual property. The article notes that according to the Association of University Technology Managers the number of new university and other research institution startups is approaching 1,000 a year. At the same time, the article highlights the many obstacles that such startups face, many of which stem from the very university environment that also supports them. These obstacles include faculty focused on research and publishing, not entrepreneurship, and limited access to markets and venture capitalists. Nevertheless, in an era of flat tuition universities will undoubtedly continue to try to leverage their assets in new ways, including through such ventures.
Lloyd Mater
