A descriptive model for assessing the impact of specific innovations on the human condition is outlined. This framework provides an alternative to conventional approaches for demonstrating the value of innovation according to monetary figures that are often subjective and arbitrary.

In this chapter, we consider the tensions that arise at the intersection of various organizational units (i.e., academic departments, research centers, and administrative areas) and actors (i.e., professors, graduate students, investors, and secular entrepreneurs) that are commonly involved with...