Category: Business conditions
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Alan Alda to Scientists: “Tell Me a Story”
16 February 2014. Alan Alda told scientists and colleagues that researchers need to change the way they communicate with non-scientists, to emphasize the stories behind their work, and in personal terms. The award-winning actor, writer, and director gave these words of advice at yesterday’s plenary session of the American Association for the Advancement of Science…
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Golden Goose Highlights Bipartisan Support for Basic Science
15 February 2014. Research on black holes in space by a University of Illinois physicist led to development of an early Web browser on which much of today’s browsers are based. That physicist, Larry Smarr, now at University of California in San Diego, is the first 2014 winner of the Golden Goose award to recognize…
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AAAS Pres: Science Drives Innovation, Economic Growth
13 February 2014. Phillip Sharp, professor of molecular biology at MIT and president of American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS), underscored the tight connection between scientific advancement, entrepreneurship, and economic growth, in the opening plenary session of the AAAS annual conference in Chicago. Sharp described the way scientific discovery feeds the economic engines of…
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Health Reform To Cut Out-of-Pocket Costs for Newly Insured
A new study from the Rand Corporation shows health care costs will decline for most people, particularly those newly insured or changing their plans under the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. health reform law. The impact of the law is expected to vary, however, with newly insured consumers having higher incomes and thus ineligible for…
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Biotech Financing Up, Licensing Down in First Half of 2013
The biotechnology industry experienced healthy growth in venture financing and valuations in the first half of 2013, but licensing deals — a prime source of biotech revenue — were flat during the period, pointing to limits on the industry’s growth potential. This accounting of biotech industry financial activity is described in a report from Evaluate…
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Design for Microenterprise Helps Target Emerging Markets
Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge recommend designing products for small entrepreneurial businesses as a strategy for success in large emerging markets, such as India and China. Graduate student Jesse Austin-Breneman and engineering professor Maria Yang describe their findings in a paper delivered last week at the International Design Engineering Technical Conference of…
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U.S. University Research Commercialization Gains in 2012
American universities and research institutes report more research discoveries headed toward the marketplace in their 2012 fiscal year, with increases in discoveries disclosed, patents, licenses and licensing income, and start-up companies formed. The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), the group representing campus technology transfer specialists, released today highlights of its annual survey for institutions’…
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Simplified Medicare Could Save Money, Improve Senior Health
Public health researchers found combining into one program Medicare’s separate hospital, doctor, and drug plans with supplemental insurance could save $180 billion over a decade while improving care for older Americans. The study, led by Johns Hopkins School of Public Health professor Karen Davis and conducted for the Commonwealth Fund, appears in the May 2013 issue…
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Synthetic Biology Census Shows Company Growth, Consolidation
A census of organizations, agencies, and companies involved in synthetic biology shows rapid growth of the field in the past four years, but also some retrenchment, particularly in the private sector. The study was conducted by the Synthetic Biology Project, an initiative of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. The Wilson Center…
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Forum: Focus Research Funding on Scientists Not Science
Elazer Edelman, a health sciences and technology professor at MIT called for a different funding formula during tight economic times that finances scientists rather than big scientific initiatives. Edelman made his remarks at a forum today on biomedical innovation in Washington, D.C. put on by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He also…