Academia, patents and entrepeneurship

Caribbean business published an article, which we posted in the news section, regarding a record number of patents filed in Puerto Rico this year. In spite of the positive news they are quick to single out what they consider to be two troublesome signs: 1) Puerto Rico is still filing a significantly lower number of patents as compared to Ireland and Singapore, its two main competitor economies, and 2) for the first time in 5 years not a single patent was filed from any researcher at the University of Puerto Rico. This raises some intreresting points regarding entrepeneurship in Puerto Rico. Have you had any experiences trying to patent an invention in Puerto Rico? How was your experience like? The article also raises some interesting points regarding the role of the academic centers as agencies that drive entrepeneurship and economic activity. Do you believe that is is the role of academic centers to foster entrepeneurship in Puerto Rico? If so, how? Or do you believe that this focus will turn academic centers into corporations, and they should instead focus on their educational role? If so, what should be the role of the entrepeneurial academic researcher in this setting?