Article Abstract:
The United Kingdom government is placing emphasis on the economic role of universities. The government has put additional funds into university science, while setting up partnerships between regional development agencies and universities. Universities themselves are committed to playing a role in the economy. There are concerns that the wider educational role of universities could be neglected. Universities may also find that business partnerships are short-lived if projects do not prove profitable.
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Article Abstract:
There is a danger that academic autonomy is being eroded in the United Kingdom. Universities in the UK are self-governing, with funding councils allocating money. The government is giving an increasingly long list of priorities for using funding, such as promoting life-long learning. Universities will be reluctant to defy the government where finances are at stake. The government's aims may be laudable, but higher education is more likely to be healthy and credible where it is allowed some autonomy.
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Article Abstract:
British universities, research councils and the Treasury are concerned about how to market ideas developed in research centers and universities. The business potential of research and knowledge is seen as a key to economic development. The government has provided additional funding, and aims to see a 50% rise in start-up firms annually. Business plan competitions are being developed. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US is one institution which has been successful in this field.
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