I think you’re probably right, but that “proof” is too strong? FHI’s research agenda seems more “out there”, and more potentially controversial, than GPI’s, in a way that could plausibly make collaboration with the current department leadership impossible for FHI even with excellent leadership, or at least impossible without making self-defeating concessions. (To be clear, I don’t think this is likely to be the case.)
Yeah I was definitely using the word “proof” colloquially and not literally. My understanding from inside info though is that FHI’s issues with Oxford have very little to do with their choice of research agenda. I think this is also clear from outside info (FHI had a similar research agenda for a long time and had university support).
While this is a data point that shows that in principle it’s currently possible to currently work with the University, GPI has quite a different strategy compared to FHI that aligns significantly more with traditional academia, so it doesn’t necessarily prove that it would be currently possible for FHI.
However, I think a stronger existence proof for it being possible to work with the University is that FHI managed to do that in some way reasonably for at least 10+ years. (They were established in 2005) - for comparison, GPI is only 5 years old.
The more important metric to me will be if it is possible to do highly (preferably positively) impactful work while collaborating with universities, which I’ve seen positive evidence from individual professors/labs but not for larger groups.
GPI is a pretty clear existence proof that while collaborating with universities is difficult and costly, it can be done.
I think you’re probably right, but that “proof” is too strong? FHI’s research agenda seems more “out there”, and more potentially controversial, than GPI’s, in a way that could plausibly make collaboration with the current department leadership impossible for FHI even with excellent leadership, or at least impossible without making self-defeating concessions. (To be clear, I don’t think this is likely to be the case.)
Yeah I was definitely using the word “proof” colloquially and not literally. My understanding from inside info though is that FHI’s issues with Oxford have very little to do with their choice of research agenda. I think this is also clear from outside info (FHI had a similar research agenda for a long time and had university support).
While this is a data point that shows that in principle it’s currently possible to currently work with the University, GPI has quite a different strategy compared to FHI that aligns significantly more with traditional academia, so it doesn’t necessarily prove that it would be currently possible for FHI.
However, I think a stronger existence proof for it being possible to work with the University is that FHI managed to do that in some way reasonably for at least 10+ years. (They were established in 2005) - for comparison, GPI is only 5 years old.
Thanks—that’s a good point.
The more important metric to me will be if it is possible to do highly (preferably positively) impactful work while collaborating with universities, which I’ve seen positive evidence from individual professors/labs but not for larger groups.