# Universities Built Silicon Valley (with Margaret O'Mara) **URL:** **By** Margaret O'Mara, Paul Matzko **Published:** January 23, 2020 --- American research universities have been a powerhouse of innovation, especially once the government stopped sitting on grant-funded patents Most Americans have some idea that our university system, as expensive as it is, is still the envy of the world and a source of science and engineering innovation. But that wasn't always so. Margaret O'Mara joins the show to discuss how these tech hubs developed in the mid-20th century through a combination of military funding and private research centers. The incentive for university-based research received another major boost in 1980, when Congress deregulated its patent holding policy. This is the second in a three part series on the origins of Silicon Valley. Why did California play such a surprising role in America's innovation economy? How did World War II shape the growth of Silicon Valley? What is a non-compete agreement in an employer contract? ## Further Reading: [The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America](https://www.amazon.com/Code-Silicon-Valley-Remaking-America/dp/0399562184), written by Margaret O'Mara [Animated timeline shows how Silicon Valley became a $2.8 trillion neighborhood](https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-history-technology-industry-animated-timeline-video-2017-5), written by Corey Protin, Matthew Stuart, and Matt Weinberger [The Origins of Silicon Valley: Why and How It Happened Here](https://engineering.stanford.edu/events/origins-silicon-valley-why-and-how-it-happened-here), Stanford Engineering ## Related Content: [Immigrants Built Silicon Valley](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/building-tomorrow/immigrants-built-silicon-valley), Building Tomorrow Podcast [On Innovation: Don’t Ask for Permission](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/building-tomorrow/on-innovation-dont-ask-for-permission), Building Tomorrow Podcast [Out of Poverty: Sweatshops in the Global Economy](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/out-of-poverty-sweatshops-in-the-global-economy), Free Thoughts Podcast