Science magazine recently featured an editorial by Kamiljit Bawa, Ganesan Balachander, and Peter Raven entitled "A Case for New Institutions" (11 January 2008, Vol 319 Science). In it, the authors review the historical context of university institutional development, and conclude that today's universities in the developing world are ill suited to address indigenous social, economic, and technological challenges. The authors call for an overhaul of existing university structure centered around a "problem-driven approach," ensuring the flexibility, adaptability, and experimental focus required for the highly varied local situations and uncertainties faced in the developing world.
