This paper seeks to assess the current state of academic research in light of long-term trends in the development of science. It presents three perspectives on the growth of scientific research: (1) Derek de Solla Price's (1963) hypothesis that science has exhibited exponential growth, roughly doubling every 15 years since the 17th century; (2)…

Describes the history of the American research university. Discusses the origin of university-industry ties (1920s), transformation of the university research economy (late 1960s), and university-industry research relationships (1980s). (YP)