Heartland Forward, a nonprofit Arkansas-based think tank that looks at technology, entrepreneurship and economic development in states in and around the Midwest, has published a report evaluating research universities nationwide and which ones are “most proficient at creating new knowledge; embedding it in their STEM graduates; and transferring both to new and existing enterprises.” The report measures formal and informal metrics of technology transfer, or commercialization of research that begins in university research labs. Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa were included in the report’s rankings. The University of Iowa was not included.
Recommendations specifically for heartland states include providing direct funding for technology transfer offices as an economic development initiative, advocating for commercialization and tech transfer to be objectives of university’s missions, and providing alumni foundation investments into venture capital funds across multiple states. To view the full PDF report, click here. An interactive index with the rankings and specific metrics for each university is available on the Heartland Forward website.