Schweizerischer Nationalfonds / Fonds national suisse
Benefits of basic research
Bern (ots)
Research with open-ended results is of vital importance to our society. The SNSF is launching a campaign to promote basic research featuring various Instagram posts and a series of animated videos on Youtube.
The core mission of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is to select and fund the best basic research projects. Its main goal: gaining new insights into humans and their environment - the basis for both technical and social innovation. Ultimately, basic research safeguards and sustains a prosperous society.
"Basic research is an investment in the future. Its benefits often only become visible years or even decades later," says Matthias Egger, President of the National Research Council of the SNSF. "With the social media campaign our aim is to show you why basic research is worth investing in."
In seven short video interviews, researchers from Switzerland tell us what makes basic research so important for them personally. A series of Instagram posts and animated YouTube videos highlight how the results of basic research can lead to useful applications. The explainer videos are already available to journalists:
Tuesday, 11 June 2019
Video: What's intelligent about artificial intelligence? https://youtu.be/xR6j9TLZdAw
Thursday, 13 June 2019
Video: Why kids skip school (& what to do about it) https://youtu.be/q-MwcsyMk2k
Tuesday, 18 June 2019
Video: Why you should abandon some of your dreams https://youtu.be/_Qy8pBaugRY
Thursday, 20 June 2019
Video: How serendipity led to a new cancer treatment https://youtu.be/Ap9yIkWZSIg
The SNSF principally funds basic research
The SNSF supports scientific research in all academic disciplines. This includes use-inspired research and programmes with clear objectives; but the majority of SNSF projects consist in open-ended basic research projects initiated by the researchers themselves. A rough estimate puts the share of basic research projects at approximately 80 per cent. However, the numbers vary depending on how one defines the term.
The text of this press release and further information are available on the website of the Swiss National Science Foundation: http://www.snf.ch/en/researchinFocus/newsroom/Pages/news-190611-press-release-benefits-of-basic-research.aspx
Contact:
Florian Fisch
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
Communication division
Tel.: +41 31 308 23 75
E-mail: florian.fisch@snf.ch