A new study released today by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a biotechnology-industry trade group known as BIO, estimates that licensing deals for university-developed inventions contributed $47-billion to $182-billion cumulatively to the U.S. gross domestic product from 1996 through 2007. In a separate survey by BIO of 150 biotechnology companies, also released today, a majority said they depended heavily on licenses with universities, particularly because those institutions are less restrictive than federal agencies in their willingness to grant exclusive licenses.

Corinthian Colleges Inc. announced today that it would pay $395-million to acquire the parent company of Heald College, which operates an 11-campus system of regionally accredited institutions on the West Coast offering mostly two-year programs. The deal comes one day after the test-prep company Princeton Review announced that it was buying the Penn Foster Education Group, a company that runs an online college and high school.

On the eve of a trial in federal court, the patenting arm of the University of Wisconsin at Madison has settled its 2008 infringement lawsuit against the Intel Corporation over technology used to speed up computer processors. Terms of the settlement, announced today, were not disclosed.

The Apollo Group, parent company of the University of Phoenix, announced today that it was holding settlement discussions with the parties that have accused it of falsely obtaining billions of dollars in federal student aid while violating rules over how student recruiters are paid. The case, which has been working its way through the courts for several years, is slated for trial in March, but the parties have now agreed to seek a 45-day stay of all proceedings in the litigation.

A new report from a think tank in New York City says its universities and other major academic-research centers have not done enough to help diversify the region's economy with science-based spin-off companies. The report says the city lacks a deeply ingrained high-tech "ecosystem," found in places like Boston and Silicon Valley, that allows for formal and informal connections among academic researchers, venture-capital investors, and entrepreneurs.

Just as an eight-year-old lawsuit was about to go to trial -- again -- the Microsoft Corporation and the company that manages patent rights to an invention claimed by the University of Rochester have agreed to an undisclosed settlement. In August 2008 a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Rochester and the company over the computer-driven printer technology known as Blue Noise Mask, and ordered a new trial.

As newspapers continue to experiment with new business models, one has decided that an answer may lie in a strategy that seeks to capitalize on fans' affection for University of Alabama athletics. In a move that also reflects the continuing allure of the Southeastern Conference, The Tuscaloosa News has announced that it will create a new paid Web site with in-depth coverage of the institution's sports teams.

Stanley H. Kaplan, the educational entrepreneur whose tiny tutoring business based in his parents' Brooklyn basement grew to become a worldwide test-preparation empire, died on Sunday at the age of 90. Mr. Kaplan, who sold his business to the Washington Post Company in 1984 -- where it has since expanded its scope to include for-profit colleges and professional training -- remained involved with what is now known as Kaplan Inc. for a decade after the sale, while also devoting time and money to philanthropy.

A Baltimore company formed in 2007 to acquire educational businesses announced on Tuesday that it would buy the parent company of National American University, a 68-year-old family-owned institution based in Rapid City, S.D., that operates 16 regionally accredited campuses in seven states and online. The buyer, Camden Learning Corporation, said it would change its name to NAU Holdings Inc. 

Barnes & Noble Inc., looking to tap into the growing market for electronic textbooks, college-themed apparel, and other materials and merchandise that make up the $10-billion college-bookstore industry, has announced that it would pay $596-million to buy Barnes & Noble College Booksellers Inc. from its chairman, Leonard Riggio. The company now operates 35 percent of college stores.