Capitalism Is Alive

Good news! Capitalism is alive in the world and expanding its programs!
A major German international chemical company, Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik, also known as BASF, has established research collaboration with Harvard, MIT, and the University of Massachusetts. Research concentration will be on biofilms, and chemical formulations for drugs, foods, and cosmetics.
New and hopefully improved products for public use are generally developed through research operations at private or public companies, generally known as "industry". Much of that research is done within the company confines, known as the Research Department, where the economics and practicality of programs can be closely administered.
However, large American universities also have developed Research Departments, in conjunction with their major objective, which is teaching. Advanced degrees in the sciences, such as Masters and Doctorates, invariably require research, which is a combination of what is already known about a particular subject and physical laboratory work extension toward an increase in the knowledge of that subject.
In many cases, it is advantageous for industry to farm out some of its research programs to the universities, where much of the work can be done by graduate students at considerably lower cost. Industry administrators also have an opportunity to work with professors to reasonably direct the work toward their needs. This association is also advantageous to the graduate students, who are then through their research getting a head start on subjects of interest to their prospective employers. The system has been in effect for many years, but more recently has been overshadowed by large grants of taxpayer money from federal departments.
Federally supported research at universities is usually of less practical importance than industry supported research. Industry supported research has the intention of developing new profitable products for the supporting companies. Federally supported research is much less intent, since no profit motive is involved. This leads to a diversity of programs which are either favorable to government ideology, such as global warming, or those of a "curiosity" nature, such as how fast a butterfly beats its wings.
In these times of extreme budget deficits, I have been calling for a significant reduction of government grants research universities, because they effectively have no payback. However, I am a proponent of research of a more practical nature, and industry supported research more effectively supplies that need. In addition, the research cost is paid by industry and the economic nature of that operation automatically forces the research to be done at a practical level. Conversely, taxpayer supported research has no significant objective, other than to support, if possible, the ideologies of the federal government, and/or spend as much money as possible, which automatically enhances the power of the administrators.
It is on this basis that, I am pleased to report the newly established relations between BASF and the three Massachusetts universities.