(no subject)
I've lately had constantly running through my mind a particular concept for a unique research facility. To give credit where credit is due, the original concept this is based on is taken from either the 3rd or 4th book in the Bio of a Space Tyrant series, by Piers Anthony. My version would have a "Profit is nice but not necessary" model to work with. The idea is to have a place where scientists can come and perform any research they desire, without some business exec pushing for results that will make him richer. This facility would not use government dollars, again so that no one is pushing for certain results, or restricting what you can and can't research (the gov't won't always give dollars to certain types of research that may have political or social implications, which is part of why it's so hard to get any research on sexuality done). I would like to say that researchers would be given blank checks, but that would not be possible; however, as close to that ideal as possible would be done.
Researchers would have standards to adhere to, of course, but those would simply be the standards that any good scientist should already be following: integrity in the research process, peer review of all studies, experiment duplication, etc. Failure to comply would result in loss of funding and dismissal. As long as such standards were adhered to, study what you want, anything you want. If you aren't sure what you want to study, I've got some suggestions, with the aforementioned human sexuality at the top of the list.
How would something like this be funded? That I'm not sure of. Obviously, the funding would need to come from one or more private sources, who had money being generated elsewhere. If any research at the facility led to money being made, I would only expect a very small percentage (5% - 10%) of the profits to go to the facility group, which income would be funneled directly back to the research fund. Knowledge is the goal, here, not more money. Hence, getting any sort of investors in on it would be hard as hell, if not impossible, since they couldn't expect any kind of return on the investment.
This is a dream of mine, but it may be a dream forever unrealized.
Researchers would have standards to adhere to, of course, but those would simply be the standards that any good scientist should already be following: integrity in the research process, peer review of all studies, experiment duplication, etc. Failure to comply would result in loss of funding and dismissal. As long as such standards were adhered to, study what you want, anything you want. If you aren't sure what you want to study, I've got some suggestions, with the aforementioned human sexuality at the top of the list.
How would something like this be funded? That I'm not sure of. Obviously, the funding would need to come from one or more private sources, who had money being generated elsewhere. If any research at the facility led to money being made, I would only expect a very small percentage (5% - 10%) of the profits to go to the facility group, which income would be funneled directly back to the research fund. Knowledge is the goal, here, not more money. Hence, getting any sort of investors in on it would be hard as hell, if not impossible, since they couldn't expect any kind of return on the investment.
This is a dream of mine, but it may be a dream forever unrealized.