The cap and gown connection: the upside.

Chief executive officers of 424 small to midsized companies that availed themselves of university resources reported higher productivity than companies that did not.

Increases over companies with no university connection:

Productivity                                                   59%
Recent bank loans                                              32%
Number of companies planning major capital investments in      23%
 the next 12 months
Projected annual revenues                                      21%

University resources used:

Student interns for business projects                 70%
Faculty used as technical resources                   44%
Employees recruited from the student population       40%
Employees sent to nearby universities for training    35%
Faculty used to help with business planning           17%
Faculty used to help with manufacturing technology    13%

Types of university-business collaborative efforts, as a percentage of

those companies with connections:

Cooperative research and development                           29%
Use of university laboratories or equipment                    20%
Licensing a specific technology from university laboratories   5%

Source: Coopers & Lybrand Trendsetter Barometer