Women who entered Tehran University in 1936 were segregated in the classroom and in the library . Furthermore, as the university system was largely oriented toward training civil servants, there was more attention to and investment in education for boys. Universities like MIT, Stanford, and Cambridge are responsible for groundbreaking discoveries — from artificial intelligence and biotechnology to renewable energy. Harvard Medical School and Oxford’s Vaccine Group, for instance, played pivotal roles in developing life-saving medical research, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of these institutions have innovation hubs and incubators that support student start-ups, turning ideas into global companies (e.g., Google, Facebook, Dropbox — all founded by university students). Top universities influence policy-making, environmental sustainability, and social justice through research and global partnerships. They collaborate with governments, NGOs, and industries to address pressing global issues — such as climate change, public health, and economic inequality.
