While society has always relied on universities to produce and educate the workforce, the reliance on university as a source of innovation through discoveries and inventions has grown significantly in the past few decades and has become an expectation for university in the 21st century.
The fundamental mission of a university is the creation of new knowledge which sometimes has immediate practical applications. But that can never be the only goal. And making it a primary goal will frequently be short-sighted. Basic contributions to knowledge should be valued for being exactly that. Our university has an almost unique role in fostering such contributions.
What practices support an innovative and productive research environment? I want to focus on three major internal factors: first, choosing the right people; second, living up at the edge of technology; third, looking for discontinuities induced by new discoveries or technologies.
雖然社會始終將大學(xué)視為勞動力培養(yǎng)與培訓(xùn)的基地，但是大學(xué)作為發(fā)明創(chuàng)造的源泉，社會對其依賴程度在過去幾十年中日益突顯，這種依賴已成為21世紀(jì)社會對大學(xué)的期望。
大學(xué)最根本的使命就是創(chuàng)造新知識。雖然大學(xué)所創(chuàng)造的新知識有時(shí)會立即產(chǎn)生實(shí)際應(yīng)用價(jià)值，但這絕不是大學(xué)所追求的唯一目標(biāo)。將獲取實(shí)際應(yīng)用價(jià)值的目標(biāo)定為大學(xué)的主要目標(biāo)是一種短視行為。基礎(chǔ)研究也同樣是大學(xué)的使命，而且大學(xué)在推動基礎(chǔ)研究方面能發(fā)揮獨(dú)特的作用。
那么我們應(yīng)該如何來營造一種創(chuàng)新型的、富有效率的研究環(huán)境呢?我認(rèn)為三大要素是必需的：第一是選對人，第二是始終置身于技術(shù)前沿，第三是捕捉那些新發(fā)明、新技術(shù)所引發(fā)的突變事例。
Choosing the right people is the first and perhaps the most crucial step in ensuring an innovative environment. There are three types of people that can be important. The first class of individuals consists of fanciful visionaries. The second class of important people in innovative environment consists of revolutionary explorers. The third class of individuals consists of uninhibited executors.
There are of course several other factors involved in creating highly innovative centers. These include adequate funding for research, great freedom of the team, availability of first-class repertory and equipment, committed and innovative students, and smooth communication and mutual respect between the research community and the industry.
選對人是確保創(chuàng)新型研究環(huán)境三要素中的首要因素，也是最為關(guān)鍵的因素。選人要選三種人：第一種人是浮想聯(lián)翩的思想家，第二種人是富有革命精神的探索家，第三種人是不受常規(guī)約束的實(shí)干家。
當(dāng)然，創(chuàng)建富于創(chuàng)新精神的研究中心還需要具備其他一些因素，如充足的研究經(jīng)費(fèi)、寬松的研究團(tuán)隊(duì)、一流的物資與設(shè)備、一批勤勉且善于創(chuàng)新的學(xué)生，以及研究機(jī)構(gòu)與產(chǎn)業(yè)界之間的良好溝通與相互尊重。
I have talked about the role of universities in creation and transmission of knowledge. You may ask what my dream and prediction of universities are. I spent most of my professional career at Stanford and with a variety of visits to Silicon Valley, but I always came back to the university. I came back because I share the vision with Stanford first president David Starr Jordon who believed wholeheartedly in the integration of research and
teaching, and the importance of student learning from active scholars involved and committed to new knowledge and research.
I am convinced that universities can and should be the wellsprings of innovation and new opportunity in the 21st century. Our challenge will be to take advantage of this opportunity, to make even greater contribution, and to improve the welfare of our society.
Thank you.
我今天談了大學(xué)在知識創(chuàng)造與傳播過程中的作用。您可能會問我對大學(xué)有什么期望和預(yù)測。我的職業(yè)生涯主要是在斯坦福大學(xué)度過的，其間去了幾次硅谷，但每次下海后我又回到了斯坦福，因?yàn)槲屹澩固垢Ｊ兹涡ｉLDavid Starr Jordan的說法，他毫無保留地認(rèn)為研究和教學(xué)應(yīng)該融合在一起，學(xué)生應(yīng)該師從那些積極從事新知識探索與研究的學(xué)者。
我堅(jiān)信，大學(xué)能夠而且也應(yīng)該成為21世紀(jì)的創(chuàng)新源泉和機(jī)遇源泉。我們的歷史使命是抓住時(shí)代賦予我們的機(jī)遇，為社會福祉作出更大的貢獻(xiàn)。
謝謝！
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