Research universities

Physics class at the Hebrew University of Mount Scopus, 1935. The article reignites the debate over whether the primary role of most lecturers is to research or to teach. Credit: Zoltan Kluger, National Photo Collection; Public Domain.

Should most academic research be stopped? Controversial article calls for professors to be brought back to classrooms

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A new article argues that most college professors should devote their time to teaching, not publishing research that almost no one reads. Behind the provocative title lies an important critique of the incentive system in academia —
Israeli science relies on the connection between universities, public funding, security, industry and entrepreneurship. American experience shows that this connection requires freedom of research, stability and long-term investment. Illustration: The Knowledge website using artificial intelligence.

America in Test Tube 8: What can Israel learn from 250 years of American science?

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Israel has excellent universities, advanced high-tech, and high spending on R&D, but American experience shows that scientific success requires more than just initiatives: basic research, stable public funding, academic freedom, the absorption of researchers, and bridges between
A historical photograph of Thomas Edison in his chemical laboratory in Menlo Park. The “Invention Factory” he founded in 1876 replaced the image of the lone inventor with a multidisciplinary team that combined research, engineering, manufacturing, and the establishment of commercial companies.

America in Test Tube 4 – From Edison's Invention Factory to the Startup Economy: Who Will Bridge Science and Industry?

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From Thomas Edison's Invention Factory to Bell Labs, American corporations have created science alongside products. Since the 1980s, much of the role has shifted to universities and start-ups—a system that excels in certain areas,
A researcher examines culture bottles as part of the research and production of penicillin during World War II.

America in Test Tube – Chapter Three The War That Built the American Science Funding System

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Until World War II, the U.S. government invested relatively little in research conducted by universities and companies. The emergency gave rise to research contracts, expert evaluations, overhead funding, and rules for distributing patent rights—mechanisms that continue
Students in a biology lab at Johns Hopkins University, 1920. From the university website https://hub.jhu.edu/2026/07/02/science-commentary-ron-daniels-innovation-research-funding/

America in Test Tube 2: The German Model That Gave Birth to the American Research University

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When Johns Hopkins University opened in 1876, most institutions of higher education in the United States were still focused on teaching and training the elite. The new combination of original research, doctoral studies, and teaching created a different kind of institution.
250 years of American science. Illustration: The Science website using AI

America in Test Tube – Chapter 1 – 250 Years of Promise: American Science Born as Part of the Democratic Idea

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