Ruth Simon’s WSJ article “Universities Push Harder Into Realm of Startups” is worth taking a look at. It discusses how universities want to show the value of their research by creating start-up ventures. The difficulty is that education’s main job is to teach and to facilitate research.

Simon notes several challenges, “Technologies emerging from research labs are often embryonic. Academic researchers are typically rewarded for research and publishing, not venture creation, and often have little business experience. Many universities are located far from the funding and people needed to expand companies. Finding ready markets and entrepreneurs to build these businesses are additional challenges.”

How do the schools deal with these obstacles?

Again I will refer to Simon who states, “Some schools are creating funds that help cover startup costs. Others are pairing scientists with entrepreneurs, launching incubators, or programs to foster business development, and even including entrepreneurial activity in their reviews of faculty.”

What is my concern?

I am wondering what role the academic library plays in all of this. Simon’s article did not mention the academic library at all. With its resources, space, technology, and personnel could the library provide assistance to these ventures? I welcome your feedback and input.