Based on the evidence it seems that is very much the point of universities these days, and research only exists to secure funding and prestige, not to push the boundaries of knowledge.

This is not a happy situation, but it seems to be where we are. And it probably won't change for a long time.

It's not impossible to disintermediate teaching and accreditation. But I can't think of any workable way to disintermediate high quality research, especially when significant resources are required.

The best approach might be to herd postdocs into research-only facilities - like Bell Labs and Parc, but independent - and throw money at them to see what happens.

That's not very imaginative, but research-only labs seem to work well when they're managed correctly, and a lot of smart people would like the chance to do pure research without having to teach, mark, and justify their existence with constant grant chasing and committee meetings.