Just two months ago, NEA launched the Experiment Fund at Harvard University to invest in very early stage companies in the Boston area.

WSJ: 'Pivoting' Pays Off for Tech Entrepreneurs

The edX alliance, launched this year, already includes MIT, Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley.

BBC: Online university to charge tuition fees

Boston said in January that voluntary payments from nonprofits, including Harvard University, are up a total of 24% this year after a city program launched last year to lobby the nonprofits to pay more although 17, including several colleges, still paid nothing.

WSJ: Providence Urges Brown to Pay Up