Innovative activities – and their commercial applications – are driving long-term economic growth in America. While industry energizes innovation through research and development (R&D) initiatives, the main catalyst that fuels knowledge-based growth once again lies where it started: the American research university. As new, bi-directional information exchanges open up between academic and industry researchers – as opposed to past linear models – more commercially attuned knowledge exchange is shared, leading to a rise in entrepreneurial success and economic impact.