Basic research explained

Basic research, also called pure research, fundamental research, basic science, or pure science, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenomena.[1] In contrast, applied research uses scientific theories to develop technology or techniques, which can be used to intervene and alter natural or other phenomena. Though often driven simply by curiosity,[2] basic research often fuels the technological innovations of applied science.[3] The two aims are often practiced simultaneously in coordinated research and development.

In addition to innovations, basic research serves to provide insights and public support of nature, possibly improving conservation efforts.[4] [5] Technological innovations may influence engineering concepts, such as the beak of a kingfisher influencing the design of a high-speed bullet train.[6]

Overview

Basic research advances fundamental knowledge about the world. It focuses on creating and refuting or supporting theories that explain observed phenomena. Pure research is the source of most new scientific ideas and ways of thinking about the world. It can be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory; however, explanatory research is the most common.

Basic research generates new ideas, principles, and theories, which may not be immediately utilized but nonetheless form the basis of progress and development in different fields. Today's computers, for example, could not exist without research in pure mathematics conducted over a century ago, for which there was no known practical application at the time. Basic research rarely helps practitioners directly with their everyday concerns; nevertheless, it stimulates new ways of thinking that have the potential to revolutionize and dramatically improve how practitioners deal with a problem in the future.

By country

China

Basic research in China is supported through public funding and national research programmes. The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) serves as the principal agency funding investigator-driven fundamental research across the natural sciences and engineering.[7]

China’s gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) has increased substantially since the early 2000s and exceeds 2% of GDP.[8] National initiatives, including the former National Basic Research Program (973 Program), have supported priority areas of fundamental research.[9]

European Union

At the European Union level, basic research is supported through multi-annual framework programmes for research and innovation, including Horizon Europe.[10]

The European Research Council (ERC) provides competitive grants for frontier research based on scientific excellence.[11]

India

In India, basic research is funded primarily through central government agencies and public research institutions. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) provide competitive grants supporting fundamental scientific research.[12] [13]

Research is also conducted in national laboratories operated by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which supports both basic and applied scientific investigation.[14]

Japan

Basic research in Japan is supported primarily through public funding administered by national agencies and research councils. The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) provides competitive grants for investigator-driven fundamental research across disciplines through programs such as Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI).[15] [16]

National policy coordination for science and technology is conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), which supports universities and national research institutes engaged in basic research.[17] Japan’s gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) has remained among the highest globally as a share of GDP.[18]

South Korea

In South Korea, basic research is funded primarily through government ministries and national research foundations. The National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), established under the Ministry of Science and ICT, administers competitive grants supporting fundamental research in science and engineering.[19]

South Korea has maintained one of the highest levels of gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) relative to GDP among OECD countries.[20] Public research universities and government research institutes play a central role in conducting investigator-led basic research.[21]

United Kingdom

Basic research in the United Kingdom is funded primarily through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which coordinates the country’s research councils and supports investigator-led fundamental research across disciplines.[22]

UK researchers participate in European framework programmes such as Horizon Europe, which fund collaborative and frontier research projects.[23]

United States

In the United States, basic research is funded mainly by the federal government and done mainly at universities and institutes.[24] As government funding has diminished in the 2010s, however, private funding is increasingly important.[25]

Basic versus applied science

See main article: Applied science and Translational research. Applied science focuses on the development of technology and techniques. In contrast, basic science develops scientific knowledge and predictions, principally in natural sciences but also in other empirical sciences, which are used as the scientific foundation for applied science. Basic science develops and establishes information to predict phenomena and perhaps to understand nature, whereas applied science uses portions of basic science to develop interventions via technology or technique to alter events or outcomes.[26] [27] Applied and basic sciences can interface closely in research and development.[28] [29] The interface between basic research and applied research has been studied by the National Science Foundation.

A worker in basic scientific research is motivated by a driving curiosity about the unknown. When his explorations yield new knowledge, he experiences the satisfaction of those who first attain the summit of a mountain or the upper reaches of a river flowing through unmapped territory. Discovery of truth and understanding of nature are his objectives. His professional standing among his fellows depends upon the originality and soundness of his work. Creativeness in science is of a cloth with that of the poet or painter.[30]
It conducted a study in which it traced the relationship between basic scientific research efforts and the development of major innovations, such as oral contraceptives and videotape recorders. This study found that basic research played a key role in the development in all of the innovations. The number of basic science research that assisted in the production of a given innovation peaked between 20 and 30 years before the innovation itself. While most innovation takes the form of applied science and most innovation occurs in the private sector, basic research is a necessary precursor to almost all applied science and associated instances of innovation. Roughly 76% of basic research is conducted by universities.[31]

A distinction can be made between basic science and disciplines such as medicine and technology.[26] [27] [32] [33] [34] They can be grouped as STM (science, technology, and medicine; not to be confused with STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics]) or STS (science, technology, and society). These groups are interrelated and influence each other,[35] [36] [37] [38] [39] although they may differ in the specifics such as methods and standards.[27] [32] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52]

The Nobel Prize mixes basic with applied sciences for its award in Physiology or Medicine. In contrast, the Royal Society of London awards distinguish natural science from applied science.[53]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: What is basic research? . 2014-05-31 . National Science Foundation.
  2. http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/factsheet_CuriosityCreatesCures.htm "Curiosity creates cures: The value and impact of basic research
  3. http://www.icsu.org/publications/icsu-position-statements/value-scientific-research "ICSU position statement: The value of basic scientific research"
  4. Book: Yong, Ed . An Immense World . 2022 . Random House Publishing Group . 978-0-593-13324-8 . 1333131287.
  5. Cook . Carly N. . Mascia . Michael B. . Schwartz . Mark W. . Possingham . Hugh P. . Fuller . Richard A. . 2013-04-10 . Achieving Conservation Science that Bridges the Knowledge–Action Boundary . Conservation Biology . en . 27 . 4 . 669–678 . 10.1111/cobi.12050 . 0888-8892 . 3761186 . 23574343. 2013ConBi..27..669C .
  6. Web site: High Speed Train Inspired by the Kingfisher — Innovation — AskNature . 2022-11-29 . asknature.org . en-US.
  7. Web site: National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) . National Natural Science Foundation of China . 21 February 2026.
  8. Web site: Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) – China . World Bank . 21 February 2026.
  9. Web site: National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) . Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China . 21 February 2026.
  10. Web site: Horizon Europe: the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation . European Commission . 21 February 2026.
  11. Web site: European Research Council . European Commission . 21 February 2026.
  12. Web site: About Department of Science and Technology . Government of India, Department of Science and Technology . 21 February 2026.
  13. Web site: Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) . Government of India . 21 February 2026.
  14. Web site: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research . Government of India . 21 February 2026.
  15. Web site: About JSPS . Japan Society for the Promotion of Science . 21 February 2026.
  16. Web site: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) . Japan Society for the Promotion of Science . 21 February 2026.
  17. Web site: About MEXT . Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan) . 21 February 2026.
  18. Web site: Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) – Japan . World Bank . 21 February 2026.
  19. Web site: About NRF . National Research Foundation of Korea . 21 February 2026.
  20. Web site: Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) – Korea, Rep. . World Bank . 21 February 2026.
  21. Web site: Science and Technology Policy Overview: Korea . OECD . 21 February 2026.
  22. Web site: About UK Research and Innovation . UK Research and Innovation . 21 February 2026.
  23. Web site: Horizon Europe . European Commission . 21 February 2026.
  24. Bell Labs kills fundamental physics research . Priya . Ganapati . 2008-08-27 . 2008-08-28 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20080828233520/http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/08/bell-labs-kills.html. 28 August 2008 . live.
  25. News: William J. Broad. Billionaires with big ideas are privatizing American science. December 26, 2014. The New York Times. March 15, 2014.
  26. Limited scope of science. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. 64. 1. 1–12. 10.1128/MMBR.64.1.1-12.2000. 10704471. 98983. March 2000. Davis. Bernard D.. & "Technology" in Bernard Davis . Bernard Davis (biologist) . 10704471 . The scientist's world . . Mar 2000 . 64 . 1 . 1–12 . 10.1128/MMBR.64.1.1-12.2000 . 98983.
  27. James McCormick . 19790950 . 2560978 . Scientific medicine—fact of fiction? The contribution of science to medicine . Occasional Paper (Royal College of General Practitioners) . 80 . 2001 . 3–6.
  28. [Gerard Piel]
  29. Ruth-Marie E Fincher, Paul M Wallach & W Scott Richardson, "Basic science right, not basic science lite: Medical education at a crossroad", Journal of General Internal Medicine, Nov 2009;24(11):1255–58, abstract: "Thoughtful changes in education provide the opportunity to improve understanding of fundamental sciences, the process of scientific inquiry, and translation of that knowledge to clinical practice".
  30. Web site: What is basic research? . National Science Foundation. 2014-05-31 .
  31. Book: Stephan, Paula. How Economics Shapes Science. Harvard University Press. 2012. 978-0-674-04971-0. Cambridge, MA. 146.
  32. Richard Smith. Mar 2006. The trouble with medical journals. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 99. 3. 115–9. 10.1177/014107680609900311. 1383755. 16508048.
  33. Leon Eisenberg . Leon Eisenberg . Science in medicine: Too much or too little and too limited in scope? . American Journal of Medicine . 84 . 3 Pt 1 . 483–91 . Mar 1988 . 3348249 . 10.1016/0002-9343(88)90270-7.
  34. J N Clarke . S Arnold . M Everest . K Whitfield . amp . The paradoxical reliance on allopathic medicine and positivist science among skeptical audiences . Social Science & Medicine . 64 . 1 . 164–73 . Jan 2007 . 17045377 . 10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.08.038.
  35. Eric Holtzman. 1981. Science, philosophy, and society: Some recent books. International Journal of Health Services. 11. 1. 123–49. 10.2190/l5eu-e7pc-hxg6-euml. 7016767. 25401644.
  36. P M Strong PM. K McPherson. amp. 1982. Natural science and medicine: Social science and medicine: Some methodological controversies. Social Science & Medicine. 16. 6. 643–57. 10.1016/0277-9536(82)90454-3. 7089600.
  37. Lucien R Karhausen. 2000. Causation: The elusive grail of epidemiology. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. 3. 1. 59–67. 10.1023/A:1009970730507. 11080970. 24260908.
  38. Book: K Bayertz . P Nevers . amp . Biology as technology . Clio Medica . 48 . 108–32 . 1998 . 9646019.
  39. John V Pickstone . Michael Worboys . amp . Focus: Between and beyond 'histories of science' and 'histories of medicine'—introduction . Isis . 102 . 1 . 97–101 . Mar 2011 . 21667777 . 10.1086/658658. 224835675 .
  40. Lester S King . Lester S. King . Medicine in the USA: Historical vignettes: XI: Medicine seeks to be 'scientific' . JAMA . 249 . 18 . 2475–9 . May 1983 . 6341631 . 10.1001/jama.1983.03330420025028.
  41. Thomas Marshall . Scientific knowledge in medicine: A new clinical epistemology? . Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice . 3 . 2 . 133–8 . Apr 1997 . 9276588 . 10.1046/j.1365-2753.1997.00075.x.
  42. A Zalewski . Importance of philosophy of science to the history of medical thinking . Croatian Medical Journal . 40 . 1 . 8–13 . Mar 1999 . 9933889 .
  43. Kevork Hopayian . Why medicine still needs a scientific foundation: Restating the hypotheticodeductive model—part two . British Journal of General Practice . 54 . 502 . 402–3 . May 2004 . 15372724 . 1266186.
  44. A Skurvydas . New methodology in biomedical science: Methodological errors in classical science . Medicina . 41 . 1 . 7–16 . 2005 . 15687745 . 2015-03-08 . 2005-11-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20051104063456/http://medicina.kmu.lt/0501/0501-02e.htm . dead .
  45. Ronald A Arky . Abe Flexner, where are you? We need you! . Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association . 118 . 89–96 . 2007 . 18528492 . 1863593.
  46. Peter Byass . The democratic fallacy in matters of clinical opinion: Implications for analysing cause-of-death data . Emerging Themes in Epidemiology . 8 . 1 . 1 . 2011 . 21223568 . 3026021 . 10.1186/1742-7622-8-1 . free .
  47. M Brandon Westover . Kenneth D Westover KD . Matt T Bianchi . amp . Significance testing as perverse probabilistic reasoning . BMC Medicine . 9 . 20 . 2011 . 21356064 . 3058025 . 10.1186/1741-7015-9-20 . free .
  48. Alfredo Morabia . Epidemiological causality . History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences . 27 . 3–4 . 365–79 . 2005 . 16898206.
  49. Michael Kundi . Michael Kundi . Causality and the interpretation of epidemiologic evidence . Environmental Health Perspectives . 114 . 7 . 969–74 . July 2006 . 16835045 . 1513293 . 10.1289/ehp.8297. 2006EnvHP.114..969K .
  50. Andrew C Ward . The role of causal criteria in causal inferences: Bradford Hill's 'aspects of association' . Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innovations . 6 . 2 . 2009 . 19534788 . 2706236 . 10.1186/1742-5573-6-2 . free .
  51. Georg W Kreutzberg . Scientists and the marketplace of opinions: Scientific credibility takes on a different meaning when reaching out to the public . EMBO Reports . 6 . 5 . 393–6 . May 2005 . 15864285 . 1299311 . 10.1038/sj.embor.7400405.
  52. John Worrall . John Worrall (philosopher) . Evidence: Philosophy of science meets medicine . Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice . 16 . 2 . 356–62 . Apr 2010 . 20367864 . 10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01400.x.
  53. "Medals, Awards & Prize lectures", The Royal Society website, accessed 22 Sep 2013.

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