[@DustyOldCrow]

Every setting has a few academic societies, actually. Forgotten Realms has the Harpers. Eberron has Morgrave University, The Library of Korranberg, and the Dragonmarked Houses. Dragonlance I'm not too familiar with, but it does have at least two or three orders of wizards. Mystara has any number of universities willing to fund expeditions on the most tenuous chance they'll find something cool.