It is generally claimed that it is easier to find funding for applied research than for basic research. In my country, the most commonly asked question to project proponents is how will the farmers or the people benefit from the proposed research. Which should be given priority by funding institutions, basic research, or applied research?
Luz G. Asio - Both types of research are urgently needed. In fact both are supplementary to each other. Basic research is necessary to generate new knowledge and technologies to deal with major unsolved problems while, applied research is necessary to identify priority problems and to design and evaluation policies and programs that will deliver the greatest benefit,making optimal use of available resources.
However, the uses of Applied Research have gained immense popularity in the recent past. People and governments want answers to their problems and need guidance to tackle the problems. This is the reason why most of the funding agencies accept proposals of applied nature.
Dear Dr Manzoor Hussain ,
Thank you very much for your very informative response. I think you are right about why most of the funding agencies prefer applied research proposals. --Luz
Dear Prof. Ette Etuk ,
I appreciate your sharing with us your very nice idea about basic and applied research. Thank you very much! --Luz
Good basic research is almost always followed by applied research. In biomedical research, for example, the trend is translational research which is the bridge between basic research and applied research in hospitals
Dear Dr. Jean-Pierre Jost ,
Your enlightening answer is very much appreciated. Thank you so much, Sir! --Luz
Research funding bodies, particularly that of governments, have their own set of priorities and research focus , usually set in accordance with government's planning and research goals, in such a scenario, funding scope can become extremely narrow and many basic research areas that apparently do not intersect with the pre -chosen set of research thrust areas prioritised by government policies, can come under neglect, in such situation funding can be sought from non government agencies.
As an answer to your question, i would say that i myself believe there exist no such strict set of norms based on which an area of research
can be categorised as basic or applied, every research initiative, begins as a basic research and eventually turns into an applied one, when it is sucessfully applied in solving some real world problems.
Dear Debopam Ghosh ,
I appreciate much your contribution to the topic. Thank you. --Luz
Both are equally important. ... Whereas basic research is the foundation of knowledge, applied research is its practical application and helps to provide the additional information base for theory building and further generation of knowledge.
Dear Dr. Bhuvaneswari G. ,
Thank you for your insights, appreciate it much. Can I ask a question if you may, in your field of study, which of these gets funding easily, applied, or basic research? --Luz
If I applied in qualitative study with large sample we get the funds and also with interventions with proof of physiological parameters we will get funds from funding against.
Dear Dr. Bhuvaneswari G.
Yes, it is also common in my field of research to combine basic and applied aspects in one research project. Thank you for your reply. --Luz
Dear Anwar H Al Assaf ,
Thank you for your answer. I agree that relevant basic research becomes the basis of good applied research. But in many developing countries, much of the research money is allocated to applied research which directly benefits the people because this is what politicians want to see. As a result, less number of basic research get funded. --Luz
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