<p dir="ltr"><b>Universities are in thrall to a rankings system that prioritizes narrow aspects of academic life. Three changes would give institutions the freedom to explore fresh ways of working.</b></p><p dir="ltr"><b>Online access to the article has been provided by the authors via Springer Nature Sharedit. Article originally published in </b><i>Nature</i> <b>647</b>, 317-319 (2025)</p>