In recent years, the realization that tertiary education is part and parcel of a country’s competitive advantage, together with the impetus given by the global rankings, have provoked a radical change in the way governments consider the role and importance of universities. Preliminary results of this work show clearly that the most successful institutions are those that have managed to align the three main components of excellence, namely critical masses of talent, abundant resources, and appropriate governance, the latter being perhaps the most critical level of rapid change.
