For the twentieth year, the Association of Universities Tech transfer Managers published, at the end of 2010, a report that contains many economic indicators related to the development of technology transfer (TT) in the country. These different indicators were established by a group of experts twenty years ago, with the goal of providing a clear vision of the reality of technology transfer landscape in the United States. This 2010 AUTM survey is gives the Office of Science & Technology of the French Consulate an opportunity to report quantitative data on the latest developments in technology transfer in the United States. In this first part, we will put an emphasis on the most significant data of TT in the United States, considered in its entirety. Continue reading
Innovation in US Manufacturing Industry Part 1 : Experts’ Opinion
The part 1 paper addresses the issue of US manufacturing and innovation. After Obama’s Advance Manufacturing Program initiative last year the author notes that little impact in both the US manufacturing industry and the literature has been observed. The AMP looks presently outdated by the recent figure regarding the manufacturing world share : China is turning the leading country with 19,8% and has overtaken the U.S. with 19,4%. The article explores two ambivalent trends underlying the globalization in manufacturing : (1) the propensity of US firms to outsource manufacturing in China, making the business of US firms very profitable (cf. Apple) and the customer satisfaction higher, making the US trade deficit with China acceptable, and (2) the propensity to transfer innovation capability to China when manufacturing is located there, preventing the US manufacturing firms to do so. (to be continued)
Entrepreneurship ecosystems : California still on top, Massachusetts beats NYC for second place !
President Obama insisted, during his State of the Union address, on the fundamental importance of entrepreneurship for the US economy, and he especially called upon the different states to do their best to create attractive environments for entrepreneurs, referred today as “entrepreneurial ecosystems”. Well, when one looks at the data revealing how each state is doing in its attempt to attract entrepreneurs, the gap between the best and the worse is quite striking !
California still on top !
The first spot is undoubtedly occupied by California, and 2011 statistics confirm the domination more than ever.
Home to a great ecosystem composed of great universities (Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, etc.), big Venture Capital funds, great start-ups and innovative companies, the region is also inhabited by a very powerful entrepreneurial spirit, never equaled anywhere else in the world. The results ? California attracted more than 50 % of the venture capital money in 2011, for a total of more than $15 billion, and was home of some of the biggest IPOs of the year (Linkedin & Zynga…) and Facebook is expected to beat the record in a couple of months. Also, California keeps attracting the most innovative companies, that sees the region as a “start-up heaven”.
Massachusetts & NYC battle for second place. Continue reading
Essential of the weeks : Feb 1st – Feb 15, 2012

After trailing far behind other Universities like MIT or Babson College, it seems like Harvard is really willing to catch up in the race for entrepreneurship. After opening their Innovation Lab a couple of months ago, the University decided to go further and launched an experiment fund that will provide up to $250,000 in seed fund, mainly to student-led teams in Cambridge, MA. That’s a big move for the university, that certainly doesn’t want to see the next Marc Zuckerberg leave the campus for the Silicon Valley ! Continue reading
An insider look at the MIT European Career Fair
16th edition of the European Career Fair (ECF): what about the attractiveness of Europe for Scientists ?
Your favorite team of the Office of Science & Technology was at the MIT European Career Fair day on Saturday, January 21st, at the French Embassy booth. The MIT ECF is the biggest event of its kind, gathering more than 100 companies, research organisations and universities from all over Europe, and attracting 4 000+ job seekers. Continue reading
For The First Time, Scientists Create a 3D Map of Chromosomes’ Organization !

In collaboration with researchers from the Weizmann Institute in Israel, a team from the Institut de Génétique Humaine (CNRS) has, for the first time, revealed the detailed three-dimensional architecture of chromosomes: Giacomo Cavalli and his colleagues have achieved high-resolution mapping of the different contacts that exist within and between chromosomes. They performed this feat using a new very high-throughput technique improved by the Montpellier team. This major research work should shed new light on the impact of 3D chromosome organization on genome expression and on the onset of diseases such as cancer. It is published in the online version of the journal Cell of 19 January 2012. Continue reading
Essentials of the weeks : January 23 – 30
Finally ! After taunting us for more than a year, Facebook finally filed with the Securities and Exchange commission, announcing an IPO that should be done around May. The goal would be to raise 5 billion and if the company is correctly valuated at $100 billions, then Marc Zuckerberg would be worth more than $28 billions ! But who else owns Facebook and how much are they worth ? That’s the question that Techcrunch answers ! Continue reading