

Startup University - woodrow
http://matt-welsh.blogspot.com/2012/06/startup-university.html

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dude_abides
The main problem with academic research process, I think, is the notion that a
publication is the end goal of research. This is true only for theory and math
research. In systems research, a working system should always be the end goal
of research; a publication merely serves as documentation of the working
system.

Scientific publishing is important. Hadoop was possible largely because Google
published SOSP papers on map-reduce and google file system. Many of the
current NoSQL stores are based on ideas from the SOSP paper on Dynamo key-
value store from Amazon. However, it is important to realize that Dynamo,
Google File System, Map Reduce were all working systems first and publications
later.

Unfortunately, there is no incentive built into the academic research process
today for building working systems. It is not necessary for
promotion/tenure/awards. The incentive structure for systems research is what
really needs to change.

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bgalbraith
I think it's more correct to say that in almost all cases, the purpose of
academic research is to advance human knowledge, not produce a commercial
product. Academia is not industry, nor should it be. What drives an academic
scientist is the pursuit of knowledge, the recognition from peers that he/she
was the one who formulated the new theorem, found the new approach. Going from
proof of concept to polished product is not academically interesting and, as
pointed out, not valuable to the degree granting or tenure process.

Many universities realize that there may be valuable technologies that need to
be extracted and developed. Business schools try to match MBA students with
Engineering students, offices of tech transfer try to offer some support in
this area as well. Schools are offering specific advanced programs in
commercialization of academic research (e.g. Notre Dame's ESTEEM program
<http://esteem.nd.edu/>). Even some companies are trying to help this process,
like TandemLaunch (<http://www.tandemlaunchtech.com/>).

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Ras_
This could work well in countries which have dual university system (Germany,
Finland etc.), with the side focusing on vocational skills (Fachhochschule-
model). These Universities of Applied Sciences / Polytechnics do already have
such incubators. Only a few though. They are also unconnected from people
doing academic research. If undergraduates can make it work, maybe doctorate
students etc. could be next.

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denzil_correa
Never going to happen. Need to completely disrupt the system.

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evolve2k
Why? This comment on its own is unhelpful.

