Heard it through the grapevine:
Q. You have forged your career with basic research, which is sometimes undervalued. How would you encourage young researchers to explore it and institutions or companies to fund it?
A. I tell young researchers that I hope they do something interesting and that they like it. Public funding agencies face the biggest challenge, because basic research is the foundation for applied research; it is very short-sighted to try to short-circuit the process by going directly to something translational. It is politically convenient because the public understands if you say you are going to cure Alzheimer’s, but if the foundations do not exist, it is money wasted. On the other hand, the pharmaceutical and biotech industries are very good at applied science. They make money and, when they see an opportunity, they go for it. I think public research organizations should focus on basic science, and industry should focus on applied science.
Interview with Chronobiologist and Nobel Laureate in Medicine Michael Rosbash.
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