Universities as Drivers of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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This week IIE’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is hosting a delegation of German higher education leaders for a five-day study tour in Austin, organized on behalf of the German-American Fulbright Commission. The program focuses on universities as drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship, and consists of workshops and site visits to public and private universities in the Austin area.

The goal of the study visit is to introduce administrators from German Universities of Applied Science to how U.S. universities have repositioned themselves and redefined their functions and responsibilities to cope with the growing differentiation and competition for prestige and funding. The program focuses on how higher education institutions market their research and technology products to attract the best and brightest young researchers. The German delegates are exploring how universities are moving from traditional "knowledge factories" to "knowledge hubs."

During the week, the German delegation will visit a range of institutions and meet with officials from the Texas State University, the University of Texas Dallas, the University of Texas Austin, Austin Community College, and Texas A&M University. The delegation will also meet with representatives of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Austin Inventors & Entrepreneurs Association, and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

For more information and a list of the participating German universities, please visit: www.iie.org/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Press-Center/Press-Releases/2012/05-21-2012-German-Study-Tour-Entrepreneurship-In-US-Higher-Education.