The great mathematician and electrical engineer Charles Proteus Steinmetz ones said: “Money is a stupid measure of achievement, but unfortunately it is the only universal measure we have.”
I started with this sentence not to highlight the importance of the money itself (I believe that it is well known), but to provide insight into usual researcher view of money.
Nevertheless, all researchers are different. Some of us are simply in love with the research itself, eager for recognition or just want to provide the new knowledge for future generations, but we all recognize the importance of money and institutional support.
Providing the money for scientific research in past used to be a lot more straightforward: people usually got it from people they knew. Alexander Graham Bell for developing his “harmonic telegraph” borrowed the money from the wealthy father of one of his students, Mabel Hubbard (with who he would eventually marry) and from his (later very famous) assistant, Thomas Watson. Later, science finds money from well-heeled patrons (from monarchs to millionaires). For example, Galileo’s discovery that Earth revolves around the Sun maybe wouldn’t be possible if not for his education at the University of Pisa, founded by Pope Clement VI [1].
Today, funding is a little bit more complicated (or at least not that straightforward). Usually, it is covered by the government, universities/companies or different organizations, like MSCA and the European Union.
I started with this sentence not to highlight the importance of the money itself (I believe that it is well known), but to provide insight into usual researcher view of money.
Nevertheless, all researchers are different. Some of us are simply in love with the research itself, eager for recognition or just want to provide the new knowledge for future generations, but we all recognize the importance of money and institutional support.
Providing the money for scientific research in past used to be a lot more straightforward: people usually got it from people they knew. Alexander Graham Bell for developing his “harmonic telegraph” borrowed the money from the wealthy father of one of his students, Mabel Hubbard (with who he would eventually marry) and from his (later very famous) assistant, Thomas Watson. Later, science finds money from well-heeled patrons (from monarchs to millionaires). For example, Galileo’s discovery that Earth revolves around the Sun maybe wouldn’t be possible if not for his education at the University of Pisa, founded by Pope Clement VI [1].
Today, funding is a little bit more complicated (or at least not that straightforward). Usually, it is covered by the government, universities/companies or different organizations, like MSCA and the European Union.
But why is so important? Money support maybe easier to understand. Today we all need money to survive and grow. A researcher needs money for his research to survive and grow. Research needs equipment, consumable material, publications and a lot more to be healthy and successful.
But what about institutional support next to money? In a rare occasion, our research is so important that it speaks for itself. But usually, it is part of a bigger picture (project) or we are solving some smaller problem whose impact is hard to understand without a proper context. In this situation, it is very important to have institutional support which will say that you are not alone, that someone (often with more experience) is familiar (and support) with your research. Like that, your voice is stronger and more people will be capable of hearing you.
References:
[1] http://www.bu.edu/research/articles/funding-for-scientific-research/
But what about institutional support next to money? In a rare occasion, our research is so important that it speaks for itself. But usually, it is part of a bigger picture (project) or we are solving some smaller problem whose impact is hard to understand without a proper context. In this situation, it is very important to have institutional support which will say that you are not alone, that someone (often with more experience) is familiar (and support) with your research. Like that, your voice is stronger and more people will be capable of hearing you.
References:
[1] http://www.bu.edu/research/articles/funding-for-scientific-research/
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