While society has always relied on universities to produce and educate the workforce, the reliance on university as a source of innovation through discoveries and inventions has grown significantly in the past few decades and has become an expectation for university in the 21st century.
The fundamental mission of a university is the creation of new knowledge which sometimes has immediate practical applications. But that can never be the only goal. And making it a primary goal will frequently be short-sighted. Basic contributions to knowledge should be valued for being exactly that. Our university has an almost unique role in fostering such contributions.
What practices support an innovative and productive research environment? I want to focus on three major internal factors: first, choosing the right people; second, living up at the edge of technology; third, looking for discontinuities induced by new discoveries or technologies.
虽然社会始终将大学视为劳动力培养与培训的基地，但是大学作为发明创造的源泉，社会对其依赖程度在过去几十年中日益突显，这种依赖已成为21世纪社会对大学的期望。
大学最根本的使命就是创造新知识。虽然大学所创造的新知识有时会立即产生实际应用价值，但这绝不是大学所追求的唯一目标。将获取实际应用价值的目标定为大学的主要目标是一种短视行为。基础研究也同样是大学的使命，而且大学在推动基础研究方面能发挥独特的作用。
那么我们应该如何来营造一种创新型的、富有效率的研究环境呢?我认为三大要素是必需的：第一是选对人，第二是始终置身于技术前沿，第三是捕捉那些新发明、新技术所引发的突变事例。
Choosing the right people is the first and perhaps the most crucial step in ensuring an innovative environment. There are three types of people that can be important. The first class of individuals consists of fanciful visionaries. The second class of important people in innovative environment consists of revolutionary explorers. The third class of individuals consists of uninhibited executors.
There are of course several other factors involved in creating highly innovative centers. These include adequate funding for research, great freedom of the team, availability of first-class repertory and equipment, committed and innovative students, and smooth communication and mutual respect between the research community and the industry.
选对人是确保创新型研究环境三要素中的首要因素，也是最为关键的因素。选人要选三种人：第一种人是浮想联翩的思想家，第二种人是富有革命精神的探索家，第三种人是不受常规约束的实干家。
当然，创建富于创新精神的研究中心还需要具备其他一些因素，如充足的研究经费、宽松的研究团队、一流的物资与设备、一批勤勉且善于创新的学生，以及研究机构与产业界之间的良好沟通与相互尊重。
I have talked about the role of universities in creation and transmission of knowledge. You may ask what my dream and prediction of universities are. I spent most of my professional career at Stanford and with a variety of visits to Silicon Valley, but I always came back to the university. I came back because I share the vision with Stanford first president David Starr Jordon who believed wholeheartedly in the integration of research and
teaching, and the importance of student learning from active scholars involved and committed to new knowledge and research.
I am convinced that universities can and should be the wellsprings of innovation and new opportunity in the 21st century. Our challenge will be to take advantage of this opportunity, to make even greater contribution, and to improve the welfare of our society.
Thank you.
我今天谈了大学在知识创造与传播过程中的作用。您可能会问我对大学有什么期望和预测。我的职业生涯主要是在斯坦福大学度过的，其间去了几次硅谷，但每次下海后我又回到了斯坦福，因为我赞同斯坦福首任校长David Starr Jordan的说法，他毫无保留地认为研究和教学应该融合在一起，学生应该师从那些积极从事新知识探索与研究的学者。
我坚信，大学能够而且也应该成为21世纪的创新源泉和机遇源泉。我们的历史使命是抓住时代赋予我们的机遇，为社会福祉作出更大的贡献。
谢谢！
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