The determinants of the research agenda

The support of science is a prerequisite for the economic and social development of society. Most nations have a general interest in planning research endeavours to produce as much new knowledge as possible. While the pure sciences aim at developing the technical background for society in the future, the biomedical sciences aim at decreasing the suffering from diseases and prolonging the years that people will enjoy without illness. However, a large amount of the research funded even by well-known institutions and with large grants does not result in more original outcomes than new suggestions for further research. The scientific society may thus maintain an everlasting procedure resulting in more science but not necessarily in more new valuable knowledge. Discusses the importance of popular acclaim, complacency at the top, the role of industry, the dearth of original ideas, the threat of bureaucracy, the threat of new ideas and the use of epidemiology. (Quotes from original text)