"We have access to brilliant engineering and research talent," said AVG's chief executive, J.R. Smith.
Such programs help these institutions lure professorial and research talent and enlist tuition-paying students.
As Dr. Holmes of California put it, grant money follows the research talent.
The biotechnology initiative has already attracted big-name manufacturers and research talent.
"It's no secret that Cambridge has the largest and best pool of scientific research talent in the world".
Mike Boxall, of PA Consulting, warns that the obsession with research talent may be a costly mistake for many institutions.
"We're interested in Tularik for the broader strength of their research talent, not for any particular molecule in their pipeline," Roger M. Perlmutter, Amgen's executive vice president for research and development, said in an interview.
But with fierce competition among universities to secure the highest quality of applicant (and that goes for research talent too) – even Smith admits: "If I were up against some of them I don't think I'd stand a chance".
The arms race for research talent and funding is something that today's generation of leaders have been fighting too hard and too long for to countenance a volte-face.
