"This shows us that there are things we do in very basic research that have real-world applications," he said.
(Experts say industry now tends to focus on near-term applications, while government finances more basic research that has greater breakthrough potential).
Zeigler went to Saudi Arabia hoping that the wealthy kingdom might offer money for the basic research that leads to such technological breakthroughs.
Taxpayers' dollars paid for the basic research that underpinned the Internet, but it took private companies to enable users to access the web.
That proposal would have removed all stimulus financing for the National Science Foundation and the Office of Science in the Energy Department, agencies considered crucial to basic research that leads to technological breakthroughs.
While lip service is still paid to the importance of funding basic research that does not have any obvious or immediate application in industry or societal benefits, Higgs would struggle to hang on to his academic post today.
That means it can support basic research that will lead to other projects and grants, Peter W. May, Mount Sinai's chairman, and Kenneth Davis, president and dean of the medical school, said.
Mr. Obama, the Democratic nominee, looks to the federal government to finance science, math and engineering education and the kind of basic research that can produce valuable industrial spinoffs.
We can't fudge the numbers after the experiment has been done… That's because companies don't want to begin an expensive clinical trial based on basic research that is fundamentally flawed or just a product of randomness.
In terms of basic research, that is very short".
Where can we fund basic research that will be the basis of whole new industries?" Etzioni suggested.
