FACTSABOUTBASICSCIENCEANDTHENEEDFORFUNDING
WHY BASIC SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT
Basicsciencecananswerthedeepest,mostfundamentalquestionswehaveabouttheworld.It
canalsoleadtowide-rangingapplicationsandtremendousbenefitsandvalue.
Followingaresomeexamplesofbasicscienceresearchwithoutwhichourliveswouldbe
differenttoday:
•
•
Adiscoverymadeinthelate1960sbymicrobiologistHamiltonSmithandhiscolleagues
ofaproteincalledarestrictionenzymethatcansliceDNAsparkedthegrowthofthe
biotechindustry,whichin2012accountedforrevenuesintheUnitedStatesaloneof
$324billion.(SciencePhilanthropyAlliance,2015)
AlbertEinstein’sworkonrelativityledtothedevelopmentoftheatomicclock,which
providesprecisiontime-keepingnecessarytotheGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS).
(DiscoverMagazine,2014)
•
CharlesTownesandArthurSchawlow’sworkonmasersledtothediscoveryoflasers,
usedtodayinmedicaltreatment,industry,andscience.Theyareanintegralpartofsuch
familiardevicesasbar-codescannersusedinsupermarkets,scanners,laserprinters,and
compactdiscplayers.(BellLabswebsite,2016)
•
Marinecoralresearchhasexpandedsurgeons’reconstructivetoolbox.Corallinematerial
isnowusedasbonereconstructionmaterialindentalimplants,facialreconstruction,
spinalfusion,andfracturerepair.(SciencePhilanthropyAlliance,2015)
•
•
•
Microprocessorshaveemergedfrombasicmaterialsresearchtoprovidesmallerand
fastercomponentsforcomputers,cellphones,andotherelectronicsindustries.
(MaterialsResearchSociety,2015)
AccordingtotheNIH,researchonhowelectricfieldsaffectbacterialedtoanimportant
cancermedicine:cisplatin.Anothercancerdrug,VelcadeTM,grewoutofstudiesona
cellulargarbagedisposalsystem.
Otherbasicresearchspinoffsarenonmedical,suchas:
o
Freeze-drying,whichwascreatedtoconcentrateandpreservelaboratory
samples,
o
Laundrystainremovers,meattenderizers,andotherproductsthatcamefrom
studiesofdigestiveenzymes,and
o
Improvedpaternitytestingandcriminalforensicsusingatechniquedeveloped
tomass-producespecificpiecesofDNAforstudy.(NIH,2016)
THE NEED FOR BASIC SCIENCE FUNDING
•
•
Federalfundingofresearchanddevelopmentathighereducationinstitutionshasfallen
over11%since2011,representingthelongestmultiyeardeclineinfederalfundingfor
academicR&Dsincedatacollectionbeganin1972.(NSF,2016)
•
Only2%of3700scientistssurveyedcouldfindprivatefundstomakeupforthelossof
federalgrants.Halfreportedthattheyhadlaidoffresearchers.(AmericanSocietyfor
BiochemistryandMolecularBiology,2016)
•
88%ofAAASscientistssaythatlackoffundingforbasicresearchisaseriousproblem,
substantiallymorethananyofsevenotherpotentialissuespresentedtothem.(Pew
ResearchCenter,Jan2015)
•
Researchersspend40%oftheirtimewritinggrantproposals.(ScientificAmerican,2011)
ThefederalgovernmenthaslongbeenthelargestfunderofU.S.basicresearch,butits
proportionhasdeclined,from70%in1980to53%in2012.(AssociationofAmerican
Universities,2015)
Contact
RubyBarcklay
[email protected]
www.sciphil.org
7.05.16
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