Talking Points: Robbert Dijkgraaf on the Benefits of Basic Research

By investing in basic science, many other societal issues are addressed. Think about the money spent on defense, health care, and education. These days we are able to deal with diseases at the molecular level, only because fifty years ago we allowed scientists to ask basic questions about the foundations of life. Basic research is not a cost. It is an investment that in the end will allow us to be much more cost effective in all of the other subjects.—Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director and Leon Levy Professor, in “When ‘Useless’ Research Has Long-Term Benefits,” Innovation Hub, February 23, 2018, bit.ly/2HzdoZP