Research and Innovation: The U.S. Risks Getting Left Behind
October 14, 2014 by Ricardo Azziz, MD, MPH, MBA
“Just as energy is the basis of life itself,
and ideas the source of innovation, so is
innovation the vital spark of all human change,
improvement and progress.“
– Ted Levitt
Harvard Business School
and ideas the source of innovation, so is
innovation the vital spark of all human change,
improvement and progress.“
– Ted Levitt
Harvard Business School
Human innovation has come in waves throughout history, and the U.S. has been riding a monster one for decades.
Though “riding” is not quite accurate. In reality, we created that wave, in significant part through ramped up public funding of research and development that began in the mid-20th century. Research universities have been the recipients of much of that funding, and thus the generators of much of that innovation.
U.S. research universities drive economic growth in their regions, states — and in the world. American universities account for nearly two-thirds of top 50 universities in global rankings. And public research universities are the backbone of academic research in the U.S., conducting two-thirds of all academic research, as measured by research expenditures.
Ricardo Azziz, MD, MPH, MBA
A educator-scientist-executive with over 20 years of leadership experience in higher education, research, and healthcare, Dr. Azziz currently serves as Regents’ Professor, Augusta University; Senior Fellow, American Association of State Colleges & Universities; Visiting Scholar, Pullias Center for Higher Education, University of Southern California; and former founding CEO, Georgia Regents Health System.