Basic research key to invigorating innovation.

• Author: Ames, Richard G.
• Position: Viewpoint

Basic research provides the foundation for the technologies that have the broadest and most significant impact on military capability. In recent decades, the Defense Department's research policy has threatened to distance basic research from the broader innovation enterprise and hinder its ability to develop truly revolutionary new capabilities.

Given increases in foreign economic strength and commitment to military technology, this is an issue that cannot be addressed with spending alone. DoD must ensure that it is making efficient use of its investments. A critical element is ensuring that the basic research activity is integrated into the rest of the enterprise.

The Department of Defense Instructions (DODIs) are a collection of documents that define policy for a number of activities. Among these is DODI 3210.1, where basic research is defined as, "systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind."

The latter phrase lies at the heart of the separation between the basic research community and the rest of the innovation enterprise. Furthermore, the history of science calls into question whether the definition is valid: many breakthroughs in fundamental understanding came as a result of addressing specific applications. For example, aerodynamics was born of a desire to build better aircraft; microbiology was born of a desire to increase the shelf life of milk; surface physics came from efforts to improve yields at semiconductor manufacturers.

Many basic research endeavors are driven purely by curiosity, not application. The Higgs boson and gravity waves are prime examples. So there certainly is basic research that has no links to applications at the time it is conducted --though history shows that applications will follow--but the notion that basic research cannot be directed toward an application, specific or otherwise, is at odds with the history of science.

The application phrase in DODI 3210.1 was added, of course, to protect DoD research funding from misuse on non-research activities. But the best way to achieve that protection is to simply move all Defense Department basic research funding to the National Science Foundation.

So why not do that? The answer is that the Pentagon has application-specific basic research needs that are not well addressed elsewhere, a direct contradiction to...