Despite the efforts of many a civic leader or politician to create their own 'Silicon' whatever, I would argue that Pittsburgh's success proves that you cannot

Despite the efforts of many a civic leader or politician to create their own 'Silicon' whatever, I would argue that Pittsburgh's success proves that you cannot create a tech start-up scene (at least one that centers around non-trivial technology like canine robots). As the article illustrates point by point, a world-class research university (or more than one), is the keystone. You can't simply throw hundreds of millions to create a world-class research university. "Meanwhile, other wealthy city states such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar, which have invested huge sums in luring prestigious Western universities to their shores, have conspicuously failed to make the same impact on the global research stage." http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/features/no-sleep-for-singapores-universities/2009064.article http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/features/no-sleep-for-...