tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14815894.post8411381412399185197..comments2024-03-27T06:52:45.545-04:00Comments on Bayblab: Basic Research is "Waste"Kamelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15548259062576527751noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14815894.post-56025848567648638722011-04-13T18:19:34.215-04:002011-04-13T18:19:34.215-04:00Interesting point about university overhead. I'...Interesting point about university overhead. I'm sure there are inefficiencies.<br />To make a more balanced comparison IBM should have to add the cost of the publically funded R&D that they base some of their R&D on. Also how much of that R&D cost just goes to purchace patents from public institutions at a good price.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14815894.post-72621658837346612622011-04-13T10:35:47.701-04:002011-04-13T10:35:47.701-04:00Hey I went and read the full letter after seeing j...Hey I went and read the full letter after seeing just the section about IBM and patents, and Matthew Kumar made a good point in the middle paragraph of his piece that people didn't pick up on. He pointed out that University overhead rates in the US are ridiculously high (~60%) so that around 1/2 of a grant might go paying costs which, ultimately, may have been paid many times over.Michael Bradleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13070797961634470398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14815894.post-84220816373968032892011-04-13T10:18:28.728-04:002011-04-13T10:18:28.728-04:00This is the third genomic bubble, promises aren...This is the third genomic bubble, promises aren't setting proper expectations. To make this trivial and to come up with vague excuses is dishonest at best. Are you saying that massively sequencing humans will solve a lot ? As guys like Collins have said in the last 15 years ? Come on....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14815894.post-84695027788026776202011-04-12T14:47:04.721-04:002011-04-12T14:47:04.721-04:00Well, wouldn't it be nice if everyone's sc...Well, wouldn't it be nice if everyone's science magically turned into a patentable product? Yeah, I wish. It's crazy to think that my contribution to science will turn a profit (and even crazier to think that needs to turn a profit to not be wasteful!), as well as incredibly short-sighted. <br /><br />And as far as the comment above me, your generalizations are not helpful. Not every scientist studies cancer or diabetes, nor can these diseases necessarily be "fixed" with exercise. <br /><br />Yes, some scientists waste, but it is my hope that those individuals will learn to make the most of their precious research funds. And maybe in this economic climate, they will have to learn this lesson or face consequences.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14815894.post-68260735170552083272011-04-12T13:17:09.002-04:002011-04-12T13:17:09.002-04:00I agree that fundamental science cannot have the k...I agree that fundamental science cannot have the kind of return a for product r&D team can have but I must emphasize that I see the types of studies being done at NIH. There is plenty of moeny being thrown out of the window. One only has to look at the constant failure of genomic promises (I am a genetic scientist) and see how some of these massivelly parallel studies were going to be a failure from the start. Scientists are bad managers and they are worst as the projects get bigger. Now you can see the pressure building as they keep sequencing a bunch of stuff with little or no return. It would dishonest not admit that. You want to fight cancer and diabetes, get americans to exercise, not to throw money at more pills.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com