Importance of Fundamental Research

In the past decade, as national and international financial resources have declined, there has been a global trend toward supporting applied science with direct links to industry. These trends have a direct impact on young researchers who refrain from choosing fundamental science as their main occupation in order to increase their chances to develop a scientific career and obtain seed funding. Naturally, the impacts of these trends are of a global nature and addressing them may shape the future of our scientific world. This WG is seeking concrete statistics on fundamental vs. applied research funding from a suite of countries, and aims to demonstrate the importance of fundamental research through empirical evidence and compelling arguments.

The results of the statistics will be synthesized in a report, compelling infographics and a GYA evidence-based position statement on the value of fundamental research prior to the AGM 2016.