How does a university become a center for innovation?

Grenoble Innovation for Advanced New Technologies in France tackles spread of global innovation.

How does a university become a center for innovation? That was the main question at a recent conference for Giant — the Grenoble Innovation for Advanced New Technologies, in France.

The proceedings were inaugurated by Geneviève Fioraso, the French minister of research and higher education, and included delegates from the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, Harwell in the United Kingdom, California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Singapore, Rio De Janeiro, Lausanne, and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

“This forum marks a pivotal step towards the creation of a global innovation community comprised of leading technology campuses,” said Marcel Morabito, an adviser at the French Atomic and Alternative Energy Commission and one of the event’s organizers.

The discussions covered four areas that an institution wishing to foster innovation should consider: Would the campus focus on a single industry, or aim to develop applications that span many fields? What kinds of relationships should the campus aim to develop with large corporations? Are there other universities or technical institutes nearby that can become research partners? And how does the institution position and market itself to leading researchers?

The conference host, Giant, brings together three French universities — the Grenoble École de Management, the Grenoble Institute of Technology and Joseph Fourier University — with five laboratories and research institutes on one campus.

“We already have plans to hold the 2013 forum at Caltech in California,” said Mr. Morabito. 

— D.D. GUTTENPLAN



What do Asian students want in overseas schools?

Student Insight, a research arm of the British Council’s Education Intelligence service, released reports on July 30 about how students in some Asian and Middle Eastern countries made decisions about attending overseas universities.

Indonesian undergraduates said the availability of scholarships was a main concern. For Indian students, the top three considerations were the quality of the education, internationally recognized qualifications and career prospects. In Pakistan, 72 percent of students interested in attending an overseas university had never studied overseas before.

In Turkey, 46 percent of undergraduates and 50 percent of postgraduates put employment as their top concern. In Egypt, only 18 percent of undergraduates said they were interested in going overseas, though that number jumped to 82 percent for postgraduates.

— JOYCE LAU



Last-minute support comes to aid of community college

The Urban College of Boston will remain open and new students will be admitted, despite fears of a critical budget shortfall, the chairman of the college’s board of trustees announced last week.

The college, which instructs about 700 students a year in downtown Boston, is known for helping disenfranchised and low-income adults get a better education.

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, responsible for the school’s accreditation, warned last month that a budget shortfall could close the two-year school.

“Since people have learned of our struggle, we’ve had a heartening outpouring of support,” said Peter Ebb, chairman of the board of trustees. He said private donations and pledges were sufficient to keep the institution temporarily open.

A deficit this year of $250,000 in the college’s annual budget of $2.5 million had led to speculation that the school would close. — CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE



Donations rise as Virginia reinstates popular president

Donors to the University of Virginia signaled with their checkbooks what they thought of the removal of a popular president, with donations dropping in half after her forced resignation and then doubling upon her return, figures showed.

The university’s governing board unexpectedly announced the resignation of the president, Teresa A. Sullivan, on June 10 in a secretive move that caused an uproar. She was reinstated June 26 after protests and online petitions from across the country for her return.

Bob Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs, said by telephone that the university had its best month of June for fund-raising since 2008, receiving $44.4 million in cash and pledges that month. “When Sullivan resigned our giving dropped in half, and when she was reinstated our giving doubled,” he said.

— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS