Our central recommendation is to restore and sustainlong-term public funding of basic research, pursuingnew frontiers of knowledge, providing the basic fuelfor successfully meeting current and future challenges

Strengthen investment in cultivating inquiry andinnovation through early and ongoing science,technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)education, integrated with the humanities and arts

Foster global cooperation and information sharing toaccelerate discovery and spread benefits and toreduce knowledge-based inequities

Support interdisciplinary collaboration among andbetween fields, including engineering and socialsciences

Openly publish research, to increase scientificknowledge, foster curiosity, and benefit all publics

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Expanding fundamental knowledge has made enormouscontributions to solving global challenges and sustaininghealthy and prosperous societies. Investment by thepublic in basic research creates essential human andintellectual capital and enriches society in unexpectedways, including new treatments and technologies thatspawn new industries, elevating the global standard ofliving.  Yet, there are many current cases of inadequate ordecreasing investment in basic research. Andinvestments and policies for education, capacity building,cooperation and openness are necessary to realize thebenefits of basic research and to distribute themthroughout society.

It is also important to:

MAY 2020 G-Science Academies Statement

Basic ResearchG-SCIENCE ACADEMIES STATEMENT 2020

BACKGROUND “Basic research leads to new knowledge. It providesscientific capital. It creates the fund from which thepractical applications of knowledge must be drawn. Newproducts and new processes do not appear full-grown. Theyare founded on new principles and new conceptions, which inturn are painstakingly developed by research in the purestrealms of science. Today, it is truer than ever that basicresearch is the pacemaker of technological progress.”  —Vannevar Bush, (Science, The Endless Frontier, 1945) Seventy-five years ago, Vannevar Bush laid out the casefor government support of basic research—that is,research pursued for the advancement of fundamentalknowledge without preconceived application in mind. Hisreport drew the connection between the pursuit offundamental knowledge and technological progress,elucidated by several examples from his time—from thediscovery of penicillin and use of vaccines to thedevelopment of synthetic materials and radiocommunications. In cases of such leaps in scientificunderstanding, the benefits to the global community havebeen enormous. Advances in biomedicine have enhancedand saved untold numbers of lives. Scientificbreakthroughs have created new industries and jobs, andadvances in agriculture freed billions of people fromhunger. The challenges of the present are daunting—including theneed to address climate change and mitigate the impactof natural disasters, fight new and re-emerging agentsthat cause disease, address chronic health issues, providerobust technological systems and cybersecurity, reverseenvironmental degradation, and provide sustainablesources of energy, food, and water. Basic research ismore important now than at any stage in human history, acrucial, long-term investment in the future to meet thesechallenges and produce game-changing ideas essential tothe progress and endurance of society.

WHY BASIC RESEARCH? It is a paradox of science that the road to revolutionarybreakthrough is often an indirect, inquiry-driven approachthat yields increased understanding of the natural worldand ourselves, and enables transformative discoveries forreal-world challenges. For example, cancer could notseriously be addressed before fundamentalbreakthroughs were made in genetics and molecularbiology.  Basic research across disciplines is necessary forresponding to our common challenges. Human activity hasa large impact on the planet, its resources and its climate,and accelerating technological developments provideunanticipated social and ethical implications. Thesechallenges inequitably affect the most vulnerablepopulations in society. Thus, it is essential to understandhuman decisions, behavior, culture, political processes,migration, and conflict. These questions can be addressedby basic research in fields including engineering, socialsciences, and humanities. Science is intrinsically aninternational endeavor beyond national borders andcultures, and its benefits should be distributed equitablyand globally. It can contribute to cross-cultural dialogues,international understanding, and to peace. Basic research is an essential complement to mission-oriented research and development, which target specificproblems or commercial objectives. Applied activitiessupply advanced tools needed for basic research, andthose tools provide other direct benefits to society.Young scientists and scholars are drawn to the deepintellectual challenges of inquiry-driven basic researchand are trained in, or create, new questions and ways ofthinking. As these skills are applied to societal priorities,they can have transformative effects, enabling the growthof R&D-intensive industries and formation of start-ups. While the rate of return on investments in basic researchis difficult to estimate, historical experience and specificexamples indicate that it is very high. Economists haveestimated the social rate of return for all research anddevelopment investments to range up to as much as 100percent. Continued contribution of basic research toglobal well-being depends on adequate, steady, long-termpublic funding. Public funding promotes the scientificvalues of objectivity, honesty, fairness, andaccountability, thereby fostering science of the highestquality, rigor, and transparency.

MAY 2020 G-Science Academies Statement

BASIC RESEARCH, ITS APPLICATION AND BENEFITS Apart from the immediate scientific results, basicresearch often generates indirect benefits. Most ofmodern technology is a consequence of basic research.Some illuminating examples: Most modern electronic devices includingmicroprocessors, lasers, and nanotechnology aredependent on classical and quantum theory, firstconceived in 1900 by physicist Max Planck, resulting inalmost a third of the gross national product of leadingeconomies. With the advent of quantum computers, thequantum internet, and quantum sensors, this percentagemay increase. Modern biomedical applications are based on discoveriesin molecular biology, starting with the structure of DNA byCrick, Watson, and Wilkins. In the 1960s, microbiologistHamilton Smith and colleagues showed how an enzyme iscapable of slicing DNA at specific sites, which in turnsparked the growth of the biotechnology industry.  Basicresearch beginning in 1987 by Ishino Yoshizumi discoveredunique repetitive DNA sequences in bacteria, the functionof which was later elucidated in 1989 by Francisco Mojica,whose work led to tools for gene editing. These gene-editing tools are being applied in agriculture and have thepotential to revolutionize medicine. While studying ultra-cold temperatures, physicist HeikeOnnes discovered the phenomenon of superconductivitythat can be used to create powerful magnets. Thisknowledge has been applied in contexts from maglevtransport to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) inhealthcare, but later basic research also benefited fromthese advances. The CERN particle accelerator usedsuperconductivity to confirm the existence of the Higgsparticle. Further, the development of functional magneticresonance imaging (MRI) provides new opportunity forunderstanding the brain’s role in human behavior,fostering breakthroughs in basic research by socialscientists in economics, sociology, anthropology,psychology, and communication. Basic research may require significant time foradvancements to be applied.  An example is the manyfields researching artificial intelligence (AI). The firstattempt at a computerized neural network was built byMinsky in 1951. Then neural networks were written off fordecades. Recently, the incredible yield of basic researchon AI was driven by the information explosion, with mass

storage of data and extraordinary improvement incomputing capacity. Continued research on AI and itsethical and social challenges is essential. The common thread among these (and numerous other)breakthroughs is that basic research provides enduringpotential for long-term and evolving applications. Basicresearch can lead to paradigm shifts, opening up entirelynew fields of industry, technology, and understanding ofthe human condition. Public investment in basic researchoften encourages important private sector research andinnovation. CHALLENGES Because of the exploratory nature of basic research, andthe need for healthy and stable funding, government is thekey funding source in the advancement of newknowledge. Since much of the knowledge developed bybasic research is publicly accessible and benefits globalsociety as a whole, it is a public good that cannot easily beowned or restricted by individuals, institutions, or nations.Of course, not every basic research project will developinto immediately practical applications, yet those that dohave a vast impact on humanity. In many countries, however, public funding for basicsciences is inadequate, has stagnated, or is declining.Economic and political uncertainties, along with aresearch climate driven by short-term results and thehunt for scarce funding, have undermined investment intransformative ideas. Yet, now more than ever, the scaleand complexity of global challenges demands revitalizedinvestment in basic research to leverage the full spectrumof human ingenuity in devising insight and solutions.  The chief concerns of government include fullemployment, public health and national security, whereasbusinesses are inherently focused on shareholder returns.Corporate and philanthropic funding of basic research isvaluable and reaffirms the importance of cultivating newknowledge, yet its incentives remain different and do notprovide a stable substitute for public funding of basicresearch. Public funding is unique in that it is more apt toensure both open, creative inquiry and resource stability,as is needed for effective basic research.

MAY 2020 G-Science Academies Statement

RECOMMENDATIONS 1) Most importantly, restore and sustain long-term publicfunding of basic research Governments have proven to be the most natural andreliable funder of basic research. Investment in basicresearch, including in engineering and social science,provides the knowledge basis on which applied researchcan build to address major current and long-termchallenges.   2) Build capacity via STEM education It is vital to cultivate student creativity, imagination, and ascientific approach from the earliest stages of education,through robust investment in STEM education, integratedwith humanistic, social, and artistic perspectives. Fundingof scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduatestudies is also essential. Special effort and support foreducation and basic research in less-developed countriesand regions is of particular urgency to harness intellectualpotential and address urgent needs while improvingaccess to the benefits of science. 3) Cooperate globally Open cooperation is key to the pursuit of new knowledgeon the fundamental laws of nature. It is essential forgovernments to support scholarly exchange and visaprograms. Basic research, when pursued with integrity inopen cooperation among a global community, additionallyserves to enhance international relations and mutualtrust. Ensuring that basic research data, opportunities topresent and partake in cutting-edge research, andscholarly publications are globally accessible is essentialto scientific advancement and an equitable world.   4) Collaborate across disciplinesInvestment in basic science must take into account allresearch disciplines, including engineering, socialsciences, and humanities. All should be pursued to engagein understanding the social, cultural, and ethicalimplications of advancing technologies. 5) Openly publish research results Results of research funded by the public should be madeavailable and accessible to the public at no further cost.This requires innovative science communication andpublishing models.

Academia Brasiliera de CiénciasBrazil

Indian National Science AcademyIndia

Deutsche Akademie der NaturforscherLeopoldina, GermanyNationale Akademie derWissenschaften

The Royal Society of CanadaCanada

Academié des SciencesFrance

Science Council of JapanJapan

The Royal SocietyUnited Kingdom

Korean Academy of Science andTechnologyKorea

Accademia Nazionale dei LinceiItaly

Indonesian Academy of SciencesIndonesia

Nigerian Academy of ScienceNigeria

Global Young Academy

The National Academy ofSciencesUnited States of America

MAY 2020 G-Science Academies Statement

Chinese Academy of SciencesChina