Carnegie Mellon University

Research portfolio

Carnegie Mellon scholars have developed a rich portfolio of research to provide a sound intellectual foundation for the study of technological change.  Their investigations explore such topics as the origin and performance of new entrepreneurial ventures and the impetus for spin-off firms within industries.  Such research also draws attention to the motives for the formation of firms, the migration of skills from one firm to another and the role of spin-offs in the regional agglomeration of industries such as automobiles and semiconductors.  Carnegie Mellon University researchers engaged in this program also study the characteristics of university entrepreneurs, the impact of entrepreneurship on technical research, and the role of incentives in academic careers as spurs for commercial technology.  

Carnegie Mellon University researchers also focus studies on the effects of technological change and innovation on globalization, with comprehensive investigations of innovative industries in developing and developed countries throughout the world. These studies include the software industry in India, Ireland and Israel, the cotton garment and textile industries in Bangladesh and Pakistan, the pharmaceutical industry in India and Korea, rare earth materials enterprises in China and Japan and winemaking in Australia and New Zealand.  Involving extensive fieldwork, these programs of research scholarship illuminate the important role of entrepreneurship in the economic development of developing nations and strategies for competitiveness among developed nations.  Research by these scholars also examines such important topics as the regulatory and legal frameworks that influence intellectual property around the world and the role of multinational corporations in spreading technological change across the globe.

This portfolio of research provides Carnegie Mellon students with access to many domains of expertise as they become familiar with the worldwide effects of technological change.