From MRI to Ozempic: breakthroughs that show why fundamental research must be protected

"Around the world, budgets for fundamental research - studies that seek primarily to advance knowledge for its own sake, without an expectation of a return on investment - are coming under pressure to an extent not seen for at least a generation. In the United States, the principal funder of fundamental research, the National Science Foundation, has this year terminated some 1,600 grants worth a total of US$1 billion, a huge chunk of its $10 billion budget."

"China has bucked the trend. Last week, the nation's leadership announced that funding for fundamental research will increase in the country's next five-year plan, for 2026 to 2030. But elsewhere, as global conflict and pressure on public spending grows, we are hearing funders from Australia to the United Kingdom argue that research with a direct real-world impact - ideally economic - is preferable to fundamental research. In other words, basic research is nice to have, but dispensable in straitened circumstances."

"A News Feature in Nature this week offers a reminder of why this approach is wrong-headed. It describes world-changing 'blue skies' research that was mostly or entirely about acquiring knowledge, and only later found to have wider applications. In some cases, such discoveries have improved or saved millions of lives. The polymerase chain reaction - the fundamental science behind the PCR tests used to identify bacteria and viruses that became a part of daily life during the"

Global budgets for fundamental research are under unprecedented pressure, with major funders cutting grants and proposing large reductions. The National Science Foundation terminated about 1,600 grants worth US$1 billion, a substantial portion of its $10 billion budget. Proposals to broaden research priorities toward defence and security risk undermining civil research competition in the European Union. China plans to increase funding for fundamental research in its 2026–2030 five-year plan. Many funders now prefer research with direct economic or real-world impact. Historical examples of curiosity-driven 'blue skies' research, including the science behind PCR tests, show that basic research can later produce transformative, life-saving applications.

Read at Nature