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.