It is considered one of the greatest scientific authorities in the field of electronics and embedded systems, Prof. Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli received me in his beautiful home in the hills of Berkeley to discuss the functioning of a University of excellence, of how everything turns here, in the San Francisco Bay, around the two major universities, Berkeley and Stanford, from Finance, startups, technology transfer. In a word, of how the ecosystem of Silicon Valley.La discussione si fa molto interessante e decidiamo di proseguire l’indomani mattina davanti ad un caffè nell’albergo nel quale sono ospite.
ESC: may explain in outline how a university like Berkeley works and how are the differences compared to the Italian university system?
ASV: I do not experience complete and not direct the Italian Universities. Yes, I graduated from the Milan Polytechnic in ’71, I became a lecturer in ’74, but back in ’75 I moved to Berkeley. I have maintained close relations with Italy and often have been called to do lectures in several Italian universities, from Milan to Turin, Rome, Pisa, Genoa, Pavia. But I never had to endure the bureaucracy that, I say my fellow Italians, is often very heavy. The key point of difference of the American university system than the Italian is that the US is based on the full autonomy and independence of the individual universities. In each subject area, there is a set of Top Universities. But there is also a list of universities that are globally at the top; and these are the ones that you often hear about and which are referred to as the top rankings published by various institutions: Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Stanford, CalTech, Princeton, Yale … In America no one would dream of saying that all Universities are the same or must be equal.
The funding, in the form of grants for research, private contributions and donations are sought actively with much effort, but it is also true that the Top Universities funding not lacking just because they are great attractors of public and private interests. One of the main economic sources for private universities have endowments, made by individuals, typically ex-students become entrepreneurs or successful people in many different fields. For example, a group of former students of Berkeley who founded years ago a successful industry, Marvel, has donated more than 20 million dollars to Berkeley to construct a building that houses a group of professors and students who study applications of information technology on socially relevant themes. A strong incentive for donations is the American tax system that penalizes the shift of wealth to their descendants. But donors, as well as business, they want to link their name to laboratories and departments that make for excellence at all levels of their flag: excellence implies great ability to attract students, professors and researchers excellent … excellence attracts excellence . This system is highly competitive.
ESC: and compared to the Italian university system?
ASV: The biggest difference compared to Italy is this: in Italy has designed a university system, coordinated at government level, which in principle is strongly egalitarian: same pay, same rights and duties, the same system of promotions in each location. The system clearly has its advantages but in times of scarce resources is likely to flatten everything down. Everything is upside down, even in a public university like Berkeley which is a campus of the University of California, also known for his characterization of the left. Yet even within the same Berkeley professors earn differently depending even their industry: the professors of Engineering, Business Administration and Law have a pay scale different from the rest of the teachers to be able to compete with professional firms and businesses for the best talent. The promotion system is similar but not the same in the universities prominent. It always tends to reward merit to ensure that the best do not leave. But the credit is difficult to judge and is not based only on objective metrics only in appearance as indicators that are bibliographic yes one of the parameters that are part of the judgment but not enough: service to society, industry and consulting, teaching and introduction new courses, reasoned assessment by colleagues of great fame, all this must enter the overall judgment.
ESC: how the technology transfer processes work in this context?
ASV: I personally think that the technology is not moved: do together. You have to commit themselves to make sure that businesses and society in general are able to take full advantage of labor University. To be effective in this process is also necessary to get their hands dirty, to set up entrepreneurial initiatives related to its research activities. Take for example my case: from algorithmic research with strong theoretical connotation I managed to change along with some colleagues how to design integrated systems. But to do this we have been strongly encouraged by Electronic Companies to found companies that, in this area, have become leaders recog-nized internationally. How did I transfer the know-how to these companies? Through people who wash-Ravano with us. And with them we have established, first in ’82, Cadence, and then in ’87, Synopsys, the first in San Jose and the second in Mountain View that, after a few years have been listed and now employ more than 10,000 people and worth a total of about $ 12 billion on the stock market. However, my interest is and has always been in the search. So I never even left the University after founding these companies at the cost of receiving a limited percentage of shares. The satisfaction of inventing and groped continuously have an impact on the world is priceless.
ESC: how are seen as the founders of Berkeley Innovative companies?
ASV: They are seen in a very positive way. Many professors have developed their business idea and this is an activity that is considered as an important factor in the promotion of teachers. There are limits to the time devoted to business, of course, to ensure that a professor will continue to do their main activity within the University. The rule followed in Berkeley is that a teacher can not spend more than one day a week in outdoor activities.
Stanford and Berkeley are inserted into the ecosystem of Silicon Valley and then log on with relative ease to investors and the financial system here is very strong and selective. The new Companies have the opportunity to develop by attracting the best resources of the territory and make their products available to the economic system. Large companies use these results to improve but often innovate within them acquiring new businesses and economic driver continues to turn in a positive way.
The conversation ends here, was very informative and made me realize how far is our world than this.
By the way: if you come around here do not ask where the Valley: you will not find, there is a real valley.
