New Report Release: The Role of Universities in Economic Competitiveness in California

Commissioned by the ACUP, this report provides a case study of University of California’s (UC) role in helping to create a highly competitive economy and in a manner that may be of use in Catalonia. The report provides a discussion on the role of research universities as important players in larger innovation ecosystems, the economic impact of UC on California, specific examples of university-private sector engagement, and relevant UC policies that set what call the ‘rules of engagement’ that both encourage economic engagement and protect academic freedom and university autonomy.

The report, elaborated by the UC Berkeley researchers John Aubrey Douglass and C. Judson King, includes analysis on the UC’s research portfolio and economic impact on California, the role of UC in the economic progress of California or the UC policies and administrative structures-incentives and rules of engagement. Finally, the account provides reflections on differences and similarities between the public systems of Higher Education of California and Catalonia. The paper is partially the result of the ACUP and the Catalan Government visit to California. ACUP annually promotes working-visits abroad in order to learn about advanced HE systems such as Massachusetts, Israel, Denmark, Ireland and Austria’s ones.