Stronger focus on applied research helps universities in Asia gain
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Asian universities are attracting some of the highest levels of commercial funding in the world, partly because of a stronger focus on applied rather than basic research compared to their Western counterparts.
According to a new index by the authoritative Times Higher Education, South Korea's top universities pulled in estimated industry funding of US$97,900 (Bt3 million) per academic staff member over the past year, topping a list of 30 global territories.
In second place is Singapore with $84,500, followed by the Netherlands with $72,800, according to the Times’ World Academic Summit Innovation Index, which looks at the top 400 universities in the world.
Dollar values are adjusted for purchasing-power parity to allow for direct comparison.
That the list is topped by South Korea and Singapore and includes Taiwan, China and India in the top 10 amounts to “a shocking wake-up call for the West”, said the Times. “It seems that the balance of power is destined to tip further eastwards.”
Asia takes up a total of five spots in the top 10.
In contrast, the United States, long seen as an education powerhouse, was ranked 14th while Britain was in 26th place.
“There is no doubt that the US has some of the finest universities in the world... But of course, during a major global recession, it is much harder to persuade businesses to part with their money,” the Times’ editor-at-large Phil Baty said.
Also, Asian universities such as those in South Korea, Singapore and China tend to focus more strongly on applied research which has “more immediate real-world impact, in areas such as engineering and technology, where the investment levels are high because the commercial returns are so high”, Baty told The Straits Times.
For universities, “moving their inventions and ideas from the laboratory to the real world is now a core part of their mission”, he said. “Universities can no longer afford to be remote ivory towers isolated from the real world.”
Nanyang Technological University president Bertil Andersson agreed. “In Asia, universities take a more practical approach to research... Also, Asian companies are very keen on working with Asian universities. Just look at South Korea. Its universities collaborate with Samsung, one of the most successful companies in the world.”
Another reason for Asia’s domination may be that many Asian universities in the index are smaller and more highly focused on areas like engineering, Baty added.
