Scientific Research
Though most people can agree that vigorous and well-supported scientific research is an essential component of progress in the areas of both intellectual endeavor and economic health, the issue of where funds should be derived for backing science research programs can supply a source of debate and contention. Consumers and professionals in businesses based on the evolution of technology will be affected by the direction that this debate takes, from an emphasis on public funding, supplied by government entities using budgets supplied from the public’s tax dollars, to a model that puts more of the burden and, consequently, power with large, privately funded for-profit businesses.
A new center for asking this crucial scientific research issue has arisen in France, which has traditionally adhered strongly to the former model. The results for the country have encouraged its upholding of this policy, with a strong tradition of innovative and useful science research that has kept a steady stream of Nobel Prizes and patent applications based on scientific research streaming into France. Since the beginning of 2010, the government’s policy has begun to shift in the other direction, seeking to relieve some budgetary burdens by shifting some of the onus of science research funding onto private institutions, while striving to avoid a consequent deterioration in the quality of scientific research.
As an example of the science research approach that until has now has held sway in France, the largest research institution in the country is the National Center for Scientific Research, a government-backed organization that derives most of its funding from taxes. The budget annually consumed by the center comes to about $5.4 million, which represents a quarter of what the country spends each year on non-military scientific research. Speaking out for the importance of continued public support for institutions such as this, the leading French physicist Serge Haroche spoke of his science research work into protons, which earned France’s top science prize in December 2009, is only made possible by the nature of public funding. He cautioned that privately financed scientific research is by nature titled toward results with immediately usable practical applications, whereas work such as his at the National Center, lacking any immediate use, is downgraded.
French government officials have acknowledged the importance of upholding the country’s traditional model for encouraging strong science research but are also seeking to tap into private sources to increase the opportunities for such work as Haroche’s. One method that has been employed for realizing this goal has consisted of the creation of tax incentives and subsidies to encourage scientific research in the private sector. Another technique imported from private sector practice has abolished the traditional tenet of salary equality between French scientists, a move opposed by a principle aimed at inculcating egalitarianism in the science research field. The French government hopes to strike more of a balance between private and public funding for scientific research than has previously been the case. The result of their efforts may provide guidance to the science research communities in other countries facing financial dilemmas.