U. S. Science Parks: The Diffusion of an Innovation and Its Effects on the Academic Missions of Universities

The paper is an exploratory study of science parks in the United States. It models the history of science parks as the diffusion of an innovation that was adopted at a rapid and increasing rate in the early 1980s, and since then at a decreased rate. It models the growth of a science park once established, showing significant effects on growth for the proximity to universities and other resources. The paper also reports university administrators’ perceptions about the impact of their science parks on the academic missions of their universities. Statistical analyses show there is a direct relationship between the proximity of the science park to the university and the probability that the academic curriculum will shift from basic toward applied research. JEL Classifications: I2, L31, O32, R1