More thoughts from an Entrepreneurial Academic | Inaugural lecture by Professor Cather Simpson Event as iCalendar

The global evolution of the university as an institution of higher learning is in flux.

Governments, citizenry and university leadership is driving us away from the traditional "ivory tower" model, in which the two (and only two) pillars of strength are discovering new knowledge and educating the next generation.

Modern universities now also define success by their impact, their positive influence on their cities, regions, nations and the rest of the world.

In this presentation, Professor Cather Simpson will focus on the economic facet of that evolution. She will discuss the increased expectation that universities – and their professors – should be significant economic drivers.

To illustrate, she will describe the path of the Photon Factory from its early (and rapidly aborted) incarnation as a blue-skies chemical dynamics lab into an outwardly facing research centre and innovation hub in which our fundamental science is complemented by targeted and fully-fledged, applied research. 

What are the benefits – and tensions – that come from commercially-facing contracts and entrepreneurial spin-outs?  Should universities be constructing a “third pillar” of strength, and what does the future hold for the Photon Factory?