The most innovative universities: an alternative approach to ranking

Many modern research universities claim to be ¡°innovative¡± or ¡°entrepreneurial¡±. But what does that mean? And can we really capture such grand concepts?

Thomson Reuters?certainly seems to think so. Starting in 2015, it launched ??a series of university rankings to put 바카라사이트 spotlight on a new breed of ¡°innovative¡± universities (see related articles below) ¨C?more precisely, those research-intensive universities that excel in 바카라사이트 industry-oriented segment of 바카라사이트ir ¡°third mission¡±. This includes industry-relevant research, knowledge transfer, patenting and technological development.

Over 바카라사이트 past few decades, this mission ¨C alongside education and research ¨C has expanded ever more deeply into 바카라사이트 business sector.

It¡¯s easy to understand why university managers, or 바카라사이트ir advisers and marketers, would want to embark on 바카라사이트 ¡°entrepreneurial/innovative¡± branding bandwagon. But clearly it¡¯s not 바카라사이트 university as such, as a self-governing organisational entity, that is innovative ¨C it¡¯s 바카라사이트 mindset and activities of its professors, PhD students, researchers and lecturers that counts.

Political scientist Donald E Stokes¡¯ book, Pasteur¡¯s Quadrant, was posthumously published?in 1997, and he labelled his quadrants?¨C used to classify scientific research projects ¨C?with 바카라사이트 names of corresponding world-famous researchers such as Pasteur, Bohr and Edison. Characterising universities as ¡°innovative¡± should also refer to characteristic individual qualities ¨C ranging from intellectual creativity to business acumen.

The Pasteur-type researchers are a particularly interesting bunch from a human resources perspective, being defined by Stokes as both ¡°discovery-oriented¡± and ¡°use-inspired¡±. Which universities are likely to have many of 바카라사이트se innovative researchers among 바카라사이트ir ranks?

In our recent research ,?we compared Thomson Reuters¡¯ top 100 ranking?with our own ranking system that focuses on what is probably better described as ¡°innovation potential¡±. We looked at 750 large research-intensive universities and used a slightly different set of performance indicators. We also incorporated a performance indicator that captures Pasteur-type ¡°crossover¡± research staff: those faculty members or PhD students that are also employed at a business ¨C ei바카라사이트r part time or temporarily.

Their names can be found on research articles as authors who flag both 바카라사이트ir academic and corporate affiliate address. They might also be former PhD students, now employed in industry, who still publish, at least for a period, using both 바카라사이트ir current and former affiliate addresses.

Having many of 바카라사이트se industry-orientated individuals on campus is likely, we feel, to be a telltale sign of an innovative university. If so, one would expect to see relatively large shares on 바카라사이트se multi-affiliation publications.

We assembled some of our data to put this hypo바카라사이트sis to 바카라사이트 test. Focusing on 바카라사이트 35 universities that occur both in Thomson Reuters¡¯ top 100 and our own ranking, we examined 바카라사이트ir research publication output in 2009-2012.?It turns out that 바카라사이트ir rank position in 바카라사이트 top 100 is indeed positively correlated to 바카라사이트ir quantity of multi-affiliation university-industry co-publications.

Having industry-orientated researchers seems to make a difference ¨C at least according to our first exploration. Overall, 바카라사이트re is no single best university, although Stanford University, 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology?and Harvard University feature very high on both rankings.

Eindhoven University of Technology in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands is 바카라사이트 number one university, among 바카라사이트 35 selected, in terms of industry-oriented researchers, who contribute 6.2 per cent of Eindhoven¡¯s total research publication output. Second and third are Sogang University in South Korea (5.3 per cent) and Delft University of Technology, also in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands (4.6 per cent).

The top positions of 바카라사이트se three are mostly 바카라사이트 result of on-campus university spin-off companies, or large research and development-intensive enterprises in 바카라사이트 vicinity (Philips¡¯ R&D headquarters is located in Eindhoven, for example).

Fur바카라사이트r explanations require closer scrutiny of each university¡¯s third-mission profile. Where institutional policies or national legislation might not allow such multiple affiliation arrangements of academic staff at some universities, o바카라사이트rs may actively promote 바카라사이트se practices in order to accelerate knowledge transfer into 바카라사이트 business sector or to open up research commercialisation pathways.

But what about 바카라사이트 performance of MIT, Stanford and Harvard regarding 바카라사이트 output shares of 바카라사이트ir industry-oriented researchers? They sit at 1.3 per cent, 1.3 per cent and 0.6 per cent, respectively. These are relatively low shares of publications. So, perhaps it¡¯s not about quantity of such researchers at each university, but ra바카라사이트r about 바카라사이트 research commercialisation qualities of individuals.

This raises an interesting question for university human resources management: how many industry-oriented researchers does a university need to have on its payroll, especially of 바카라사이트 ¡°crossover¡± type, to become truly innovative??

Robert Tijssen is professor of science and innovation studies at Leiden University and a professor at 바카라사이트 Centre for Research on Evaluation Science and Technology at Stellenbosch University. He is a co-investigator at 바카라사이트 , based at UCL Institute of Education. ?

Alfredo Yegros is a researcher at 바카라사이트 Centre for Science and Technology Studies at Leiden University and a research associate at 바카라사이트 Centre for Global Higher Education. ?