Here is one more evidence that we are on the edge fine future. British scientists have created a molecular car.

We analyze how mid-range universities can contribute to industrial change through the transfer of tacit and codified knowledge in the areas of spin-offs; licensing and patents; contract research, consultancy and reach-out; and graduate and researcher mobility. We use archival, survey and interview data relating to mid-range universities in mid-range environments in the UK, Belgium, Germany and Sweden. Our findings suggest that mid-range universities primarily need to focus on generating world-class research and critical mass in areas of expertise, as well as developing different types of intermediaries. Mid-range universities may need to develop a portfolio of university–industry linkages in terms of the scope of activities and the types of firms with which they interact. We also show that different intermediaries have important roles to play in developing university–industry linkages for mid-range universities.

The growing share of university research funded by industry has sparked concerns that academics will sacrifice traditional scholarly activities to pursue commercial goals. To investigate this concern, I examine the influence of an applied sponsor and consider limitations of the grant funding mechanism. A novel dataset tracks the careers of academic engineers and their relationships with this sponsor. I find that (a) researchers who maintain a relationship with the directed sponsor experience a decrease in publications implying that academics’ careers may be a function of the type of funding received, not only talent; (b) academic merit does not necessarily serve as a funding criterion for sponsors; and (c) citation and publication measures of academic output are often not useful proxies for short-term commercial or social value.

Based on a survey of the inventors of 9017 European patented inventions, this paper provides new information about the characteristics of European inventors, the sources of their knowledge, the importance of formal and informal collaborations, the motivations to invent, and the actual use and economic value of the patents.