A recent report from the Washington DC-based Brookings Institution suggests that many leading US universities are failing to profit from technology transfer. In fact, universities are not even generating enough of a return on their patents and technology to cover the operating costs of their tech transfer functions, including employment and patenting costs.

‘University Start-Ups: Critical for Improving Technology Transfer’ analysed licensing data from 155 US universities. The report found that most of the universities studied are losing money from licensing. During 2012, the top eight universities in terms of licensing revenue accounted for 50% of the total licensing income of all 155 universities, with the top 16 taking 70%.

Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have met several young people in business recently who believe that they are natural born entrepreneurs, and actually seem to feel that traditional training and experience may be a detriment to their success in this new world. I concede that some natural born skills do exist, but more often I tend to agree with Peter Drucker, who said “It’s not magic, it’s not mysterious, and it has nothing to do with genes. It’s a discipline, and like any discipline, it can be learned.”

Unraveling the ever-changing World Wide Web to find the very best sites can be a daunting and time consuming task. Or, you could just ask Reddit.

That's what one Redditor did Thursday, posing to the rest of the community the question, "What is the best website other than Reddit?"

image: Mashable.com

How do you think changing demographics in the U.S. will influence business in the coming decade?

ERIC SPIEGEL: Demographic change, including rapid population growth and an unprecedented graying of the globe, will have a major impact on business in the coming years. By 2050, we are likely to see between two and three billion more people on the planet, with almost 400 million people living in the U.S. The number of Americans over the age of 65 is estimated to more than double to nearly 90 million people, more than 20% of the projected population, by 2050.

Image Courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

AUSTRALIA is a nation built on hard work and invention. Adapting to the challenges and changes in society, industry and the environment have been the hallmark characteristics of Australians across generations. These qualities are the bedrock of our society and our economy, and are well reflected in events like The Australian Innovation Challenge.

Image Courtesy of Ventrilock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Samsonite roll-aboard bag I’ve been using for 15 years announced its retirement this spring, when a wheel tread ripped on a cobblestone street in Belfast. I coaxed it through the rest of the trip with duct tape and taxi rides, but it was clearly time to find a new carry-on — not a simple task, I quickly discovered.

Image Courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“Good Morning America” shared some incredible footage of female leopard sharks off the coast of California. Most of them ...

Most people don’t grow up wanting to become an Entrepreneur, they grow into it.  I’ve found that there are 10 different signs that are very good indicators that you’re an Entrepreneur or an Entrepreneur in training.

Image Courtesy of phanlop88 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A 2012 Harvard Business School study, “E-Mail: Not Dead, Evolving,” found “communication between individuals—the original intent of e-mail—isn’t even listed in the top five activities” of how we use email today.

I have worked in the world of technology since 1982 and even worked as the vice president of an email services company. I tend to lean pretty heavily on email in my work world, but I have noticed how its use is changing in my personal life.

Image Courtesy of FrameAngel / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A newly opened business accelerator in Toronto aims to move Canada ahead in the growing field of data-driven technology.

The business of helping companies make sense of data is estimated to grow to $50 billion worldwide in the next five years from $5 billion today, say the founders of OneEleven accelerator, which had its grand opening last week.

A creative Google Earth application shows cities flooded under one, 25 even 80 meters of water

Imagine going fishing off the coast of Miami -- and instead catching a rare and massive beast that appears straight from the Mesozoic era (or all of our nightmares).

The well-known shark fisherman who snared the 800-pound sea creature below told ABC News it was like "a dinosaur."

On Thanksgiving, a business owner offers his reflections on what’s good in his life and work.

I am grateful for my customers, who give me feedback to build a better company.

I am grateful for my prospects, who ask smart questions to make my sales team get better.

Image Courtesy of podpad / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The job market is mighty hot for certain skills in our region. As an economic development official, workforce is one of my highest priorities to grow and retain the region’s economy. I want to highlight what the hottest jobs are according to one useful and credentialed source we use, the Minnesota Regional Career Supplement, published by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

image: http://www.prairiebizmag.com

You’ve cracked open the crate of cranberries, stuck the turkey in the oven and are well into filling your second muffin tin with cornbread batter. And just in time for dinner, MedCity is here to talk about innovative obesity treatments, both pharmaceutical options and medical devices.

Image Courtesy of marin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The life cycle of products decreased by factor 4 the last fifty years. Innovation is essential. But it is difficult, risky and it demands a lot of resources. It’s no walk in the park. Innovation is an expedition.

Image Courtesy of porbital / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

While the world economy continues to look shaky, the technology industry has never looked stronger.

Now is perhaps a good time to stop for a moment and reflect on what the next decade will be all about for the industry.

My vision of what the technology industry needs to focus on is best described by the title of Michael Dertouzos’s book The Unfinished Revolution (Dertouzos was the head of MIT’s Laboratory for Computer Science, where I was a graduate student). The revolution that Dertouzos talks about is in “human-centric” computing. Indeed, today’s open problems are not so much in the domain of chips and networking as they are in the more human-centric domains.

Image Courtesy of renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A job creation fund has opened for business in Jersey, meaning companies can now apply for up to £500,000.

States members voted in May to set up the Jersey Innovation Fund, which will make £5m available to entrepreneurs.

Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean said the fund was "an important element of government's commitment to support growth and diversification".

Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Black Friday has always struck me as an odd moniker for a major event during the typically cheerful holiday season.

In the last few years Black Friday (the huge shopping day after the annual Thursday holiday of the U.S. Thanksgiving Day) has seemingly become even more intensively publicized, with the new phenomena of Gray Thursday (stores opening early on Thanksgiving Day to get a head start of the shopping crush) and Cyber Monday (the surge in online shopping on the Monday after Thanksgiving where people return to their computers) and drive large amounts of traffic to shopping websites in search of bargains.

Image Courtesy of Iamnee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Netherlands has retained its position at the top of the annual Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI) which compares healthcare systems in Europe. On 48 indicators such as patient rights and information, accessibility, prevention and outcomes, the Netherlands secured its top position among 35 European countries for the fourth year in a row, scoring 870 of a maximum 1,000 points.

Image Courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net