Entrepreneurial spirit

Albert Einstein set out this purposeful pursuit of the unknown. "If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research."

Stanford University, in California's Silicon Valley, was where Google began as a research project.

The university has a track record with new technology. Hewlett Packard, Yahoo, Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems all have roots in this Palo Alto powerhouse.

Stanford says the "entrepreneurial spirit" of its former staff and students has helped to create almost 5,000 companies, employing nearly 700,000 people.

And in terms of externally-sponsored research, including federal projects, Stanford's budget this year is $1.15bn (£714m).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12733522