Underestimating basic research as a strategic error: a reflection on science policy and innovation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36097/rsan.v1iEspecial_4.4208Keywords:
applied research, basic research, knowledge production, scientific innovationAbstract
Basic research is a fundamental component of scientific systems; however, funding and evaluation models oriented toward short-term outcomes may disadvantage research activities whose benefits are uncertain, cumulative, and realized over extended time horizons. The objective of this study is to analyze the interdependence between basic and applied research and to substantiate why underestimating basic research constitutes a strategic error in university governance and science policy. An argumentative analysis was conducted based on a narrative and analytical review of scientific literature, institutional documents, and studies on science policy. The analysis integrated the classification of research activities established in the Frascati Manual, the Mode 1 and Mode 2 approaches to knowledge production, and Pasteur’s Quadrant framework. Historical and contemporary cases were also examined as analytical and illustrative resources to discuss the relationships among fundamental knowledge, innovation, and technological application. The analysis showed that the relationship between basic and applied research cannot be adequately understood as a linear sequence or as an opposition between research modalities; rather, it involves complementary processes of knowledge generation, accumulation, and application. Therefore, it is concluded that a sustainable science policy requires preserving capacities for basic research while fostering its articulation with use-inspired basic research, applied research, and experimental development through funding and evaluation mechanisms aligned with their differing objectives, time horizons, and levels of uncertainty.
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