Basic research

Basic research, also called pure research or fundamental research, is the type of scientific research with the intention of modernizing scientific theories for better apprehension and prediction of natural or other phenomena. In contrast, applied research uses scientific theories to instituting technology or techniques which can be used to intervene as alive as alter natural or other phenomena. Though often driven simply by curiosity, basic research often fuels a technological innovations of applied science. The two aims are often practiced simultaneously in coordinated research and development.

By country

In the United States, basic research is funded mainly by federal government and done mainly at universities and institutes. As government funding has diminished in the 2010s, however, private funding is increasingly important.