Universities are engines of innovation and societal development, facing a policy dilemma: how to balance teaching with frontier research under external funding while preserving autonomy. Drawing on research-evaluation and knowledge-policy literature, this paper argues that external funding can amplify societal value when paired with integrated governance and alignment of scholarly values. The concept of “softening” boundaries between academia and funders is recast as productive collaboration, guided by Cash and Clark’s triad of salience, credibility, and legitimacy. I propose actionable pathways: (1) co-design of research agendas to maintain rigour and relevance; (2) boundary-spanning governance that includes funders and stakeholders; (3) boundary objects and shared tools to enable cross-boundary work; (4) preserving legitimacy in evaluation to balance accountability with scholarly integrity. Policy implications include revising assessments to reward long-term impact, building trust-based governance, and employing metrics that capture broader value alongside outputs. Significance: reframed funder–university relations sustain curiosity-driven inquiry while delivering broad social benefits.
Michael Goodman Nxumalo (Wed,) studied this question.