What and why is basic scientific research, so important, so different, so special yet so neglected?
• Basic research is designed to give us new discoveries; applied research uses these discoveries to gives us tangibles. Basic research and applied research both use the same measuring instruments and methods and work together as one, but they are treated very differently in their goals and funding. • Both are very important. But basic research gives us new discoveries and is poorly funded. • The National Science Foundation’s, NSF, official definition of basic and applied research are given below. These are the labels in soliciting funding for the two sciences, see ref. 2. • It very important to know and understand the differences between them because of the funding issues. The visible or public difference is: Applied Research is very familiar to the public; Basic Research is not. NSF definitions of Basic Research and Applied Research with comments from the authors. Basic research; Its objective is to gain fuller knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomenon and of
