Good question! Research, education and cooperation with the wider society - in Sweden it should be without any internal order (earlier, cooperation, "samverkan", was called the "third task").

In some way, all universities do some kind of job on all three. In worst cases, as I see it, education is a necessary prerequisite or byproduct just to be able to do research, and cooperation is work on external funding for further research. In best cases, as I see it, all three constitutes one and the same task, and are not performed in separation from one another.

Another peculiar factor here is that most institutions have some kind of internal understanding and claim that if they only were right understood, they are among the very best globally in all three tasks. Have you observed this as well? In rankings,all that is positive or can be interpreted as such is news and truths and everything else is misunderstandings or wrongly used quality indicators, etc. This is mysterious.

Dear Ajit,

Thank you for your question and considerations about the role/mission of universities in the development of individuals and countries.

In my country, University professors have to play, say, three missions, which I have tried to fulfill:

1) To Perform original research, that is, raise "irritating" questions or questions whose answer leads us to a better knowledge of the unkown.

2) To teach students such that they become creators and inovators, not conformist people.

3) To bring the benefits of their research and teaching to the world, namely to his country and the so called civil, or non-academic, society.

I know of other countries that also emphasize these three facets. As there are countless universities all over the world, it may be the case that some of them require from their professors different missions than those i mentioned,

Best regards,

Orlando

Really an excellent answer with insight in the area Dr. Anders. Many thanks.

ajit

I suppose your country is doing right job.thanks dr. Orlando