QS vs Unicorn Founder Rankings: How Do Top US Universities Compare?

𝐅𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦-𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 & 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 As the world navigates waves of economic change, universities are being called to play a new role. Today they are not just centres of learning but engines of innovation, change, and growth. Times Higher Education assembled luminaries from around the world at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) to reimagine the role of universities as catalysts of national resilience and global progress where education, enterprise, and empathy converge to shape the future economy. 💡Shitij Kapur, King's College London - Universities produce 3Ps: Papers, Patents, and People 🚀 Louis Phee, Nanyang Technological University Singapore - Students today are driven by purpose. For them, making an impact matters more than merely making money. 🌍 @Bin Yang, Tsinghua University - A lot of University graduates increasingly are 𝐸𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 in jobs, research, & government even if they are not 𝐸𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟𝑠 in the traditional sense. Bethanie Drake-Maples, Atypical AI - There are more than 4,000 Venture Capitalists in Silicon valley waiting to invest in ideas. Teaching how funding gets assessed would be a useful skill for universities to teach. #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Universities #THE #WAS #KAUST #NTUsg

🌟 The Importance of High School Research 🌟 Research should not be confined to universities—it should begin at the high school level. Encouraging students to explore multidisciplinary projects early helps them think critically, solve real-world problems, and develop the creativity that drives scientific innovation. When young minds engage in research, they not only learn how to learn but also discover their passions in science, technology, and engineering. This foundation prepares them for higher education, entrepreneurship, and global competitiveness. 🔬 I would be glad to introduce several multidisciplinary research projects suitable for high school students and provide mentoring to help them design, execute, and publish their work. Let’s inspire the next generation of innovators—one high school at a time. 🚀 #HighSchoolResearch #STEMEducation #Innovation #Mentorship #FutureScientists #EducationReform #ResearchMentoring #STEMforAll

🌍 How do we cultivate the entrepreneurial mindset to turn brilliant ideas into societal impact? Our latest TenU Hosts webinar brought together global leaders in university innovation to answer exactly that. 🎧 Catch up via our podcast, created in collaboration with The Next Leap, and explore five key lessons on building an entrepreneurial mindset within universities: 🔵 Structure beats spontaneity — entrepreneurial culture doesn’t emerge by chance. From MIT’s common language of entrepreneurship to KU Leuven’s ‘Kick House’ hub, intentional design matters. 🔵 Incentives unlock participation — initiatives like Edinburgh’s Innovation Career Pathway and UNSW’s allowance for paid external work show academics that entrepreneurship is valued — and viable. 🔵 Leadership signals shape culture — when senior figures publicly back entrepreneurship (and even normalise failure), confidence spreads. 🔵 Inspiration is contagious — alumni stories, peer networks and visible role models help momentum travel faster than policy alone. 🔵 Every university can get there — progress doesn’t require a silver bullet. Consistent steps taken over time build powerful change. Featuring contributions from:  🔹 Paul Cheek, Executive Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship & Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management 🔹 Kirsty Collinge, Head of Research Strategy, The University of Edinburgh 🔹 Koenraad Debackere, Professor of Economics & Management of Technology and Innovation, KU Leuven 🔹 Linda Koschier, Head of Entrepreneurship, UNSW Sydney’s Faculty of Engineering 👉 Listen to the full discussion and read more details here: https://lnkd.in/dpEffz_G #ResearchCommercialisation #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #HigherEducation #GlobalInnovation #Ecosystems | Cambridge Enterprise | Imperial Enterprise | University of Manchester Innovation Factory | Oxford University Innovation | UCL Business Ltd | KU Leuven Research & Development | MIT Technology Licensing Office | Stanford Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) | Columbia Technology Ventures | Research England |

💡 The Rise of the Entrepreneurial Scientist: Blending Innovation with Impact 💡 In today’s fast-changing world, scientists are being called to do more than just explore, publish, and teach. We are also being asked to innovate, lead, and translate knowledge into action and to lead the transformation of their research into real-world solutions. This evolving role has given birth to a powerful concept: the "Entrepreneurial Scientist" - someone who blends the curiosity of a researcher with the mindset of a changemaker. As a participant in the DPG5011 – Entrepreneurial Scientist Training course at the University of São Paulo (USP), I found myself deeply inspired by the vision behind this initiative. This interdisciplinary program brings together postgraduate students, researchers, and innovation enthusiasts to explore how cutting-edge technologies developed in academia can be transformed into startups that address pressing societal needs. But again what exactly is an entrepreneurial scientist? An entrepreneurial scientist is not just someone who publishes papers or applies for patents — it is a mindset and practice where scientists actively engage in shaping the trajectory of innovation. They navigate the laboratory, innovative technology, and the marketplace, often forming multidisciplinary teams, developing business plans, pitching to investors, and learning how to scale ideas that matter. 🌱 It’s not just about startups. It’s about empowering scientists to lead change. I’m truly grateful to my peers, mentors, and instructors in this course — and especially to Prof. Liliam Carrete, the program director. The journey continues, and I hope our article can contribute to future policies, academic training, and entrepreneurial efforts across disciplines. If you’re a scientist with a dream, or a student curious about turning your thesis into impact — this movement is for you. Let’s make science walk out of the lab — and into the world. 🌍✨ 📖 Coming Soon: Our full article “The Entrepreneurial Scientist” – stay tuned!

Washington State University introduces the CAS Innovation Leaders Lecture Series, featuring industry and academic experts who have successfully navigated the path from research to commercialization. The goal: to energize WSU’s entrepreneurial community and showcase how discoveries can be scaled to real-world impact. Washington State University—College of Arts and Sciences #Innovation #Commercialization #WSUResearch https://buff.ly/aURS72S

Good to see this comment piece from University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor, Prof Deborah Prentice. In a week in which one of our former students won a Nobel prize (that's now 126 Cambridge-affiliated winners), it makes the case for how Cambridge's world-leading research can help drive growth through inclusive innovation.

A great piece from Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice on why Cambridge is at the heart of the UK’s innovation-led future. From cutting-edge research to being a magnet for global investment, the article highlights how Cambridge is driving innovation at scale and why that matters for the UK’s growth and competitiveness. Give it a read 👇

Professor Deborah Prentice talks to The Telegraph about how the University of Cambridge is a leading the world in innovation-led growth.

🔎 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. Universities around the world produce groundbreaking research, yet most spin-offs struggle and many fail within the first few years. Why? 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Here are some common gaps I see in university spin-offs: 1️⃣ 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆-𝗹𝗲𝗱, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁-𝗹𝗲𝗱 Brilliant inventions often launch without a clear customer problem or market fit. 2️⃣ 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗜𝗣 & 𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 Unclear ownership, poorly structured licensing terms, or lack of freedom-to-operate can stall deals before they start. 3️⃣ 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 Academics drive the science, but without business leadership, scaling is difficult. 4️⃣ 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Universities prioritize publications and patents, while investors prioritize scalable businesses, leaving spin-offs caught in the middle. 💡 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺: When universities combine strong IP strategy, market validation, and seasoned leadership, their spin-offs can become engines of real-world impact. 👉 What do you think universities should do differently to help spin-offs succeed? Intellectora #TechTransfer #IPStrategy #Innovation #SpinOffs #Commercialization