Universities,etc? benefit without specific instructions?

I was wondering if any one knows for certain if any academies have an effect upon a nation just by existing?

For instance, if I opened universities in a number of my cities, will that have any short/long-term effect on my nation if I don't have them doing particular research or training people? In a 'normal world' one would presume they'd have a long term beneficial effect on the economy, but I wonder if they do in game?

Yes, the naval/military ones seem straight forward, but I wonder about the other ones. In Game 8 some of the NPCs were calling for some of the German states to open universities, but I wondered whether they'd actually get any benefit for doing so if they didn't task the university with some kind of research, or put men in them to train for something.

I noted in Carte Blanche, the new supplement what was required to have proper water on a ship. There were like 4 or 5 inventions in series that needed to be done!

Unless you're late in the game with real money to burn, I just don't see how players could have the patience for working on something that will probably take a decade of real world time to accomplish in-game!

It did make me wonder if Richard had ever considered running an accelerated game. Each Turn was two months or a quarter, so time would pass much more quickly.

As Kingmaker says, it helps to have a clear 5 year plan. I just wish it didn't take 5 real years to accomplish!