Are there aspects of the wave of industrialization and globalization of the economy that came into being in the 19th century that are relevant for the present day predicament? Can we learn something from the history of central Europe in the 19th century, especially the transformation from agrarian to industrial economy in Germany? 

Historical research has brought to light that an important element of Germany's transformation towards an industrial power house was conceiving and establishing certain institutions, not merely those to channel and make available the capital for certain sectors, but also to organize social life in ways that provided opportunities to interact and innovate. An important aspect of this was bringing forth a specific idea of higher education and embodying it in an institutional form:

About two centuries ago, Prussia had to face the challenge of being backward in science and technology compared to its neighbours, for example France and Great Britain. The challenge was met by erecting a specific education system, particularly regarding higher education, wherein the task of teaching was conceived as involving the students as participants in the research and reflection process of the teacher. This approach was novel in its emphasis on knowledge as a process rather than as a product, and contrasted sharply with the then established idea of teaching as conveying predefined knowledge in a top-down fashion. Also, it distinguished itself by rejecting the utilitarian orientation, i.e. an orientation of conceiving higher education as the training of professionals, and replaced it by viewing the aim of higher education as that forming a considerate citizen by inculcating intellectual virtues such as self-reliance, autonomy of judgement, critical and theoretical reflexion, inter-disciplinarity and a cosmopolitan attitude.

This model came into existence during the tenure of Wilhelm von Humboldt as Prussian Education Minister, and we will term it in the following as ‘Humboldt model’ and the dynamic it precipitated was one causal factor in the emergence of a stratum of researchers on the one hand and research as a profession on the other. (Irrespective of whether Humboldt as a person can be traced as the source of the idea we are identifying with his name, it is evident that there did come into existence an idea, and a model of „university“ more or less conforming to it, in the early 19th century.)

The unfolding dynamic of the institutional structure for teaching and generation of knowledge is of tremendous importance: it not only initiated an innovation thrust in Germany, enabling it to catch up with its neighbours and securing for itself a top position in the sphere of scientific and technological achievement, but also created the conditions for boosting science and technology in general, causing the very emergence of many academic disciplines we are familiar with today, and also the emergence of the idea of ‘academic professions’ and all related infrastructures - such as division of disciplines, professional journals, academic peer reviewing system, academic conferences etc. - without which the R&D processes of today would be inconceivable.