Friday Focus: Research as a public good
May 16, 2025
— By Laura Conner, vice chancellor for research
Laura Conner
In my last Friday Focus, I wrote about the ways that individual paths toward research careers are often rooted in an individual or collective sense of wonder and discovery. These days, many people are questioning why public money funds such research. Today’s Friday Focus addresses that question.
In my view, research truly is a public good. Scientific research has resulted in technologies and amenities that we rely on in our everyday lives, such as iPhones, light bulbs, clean water and antibiotics. And while academia and industry both play a role in such advances, universities play a unique role in the research ecosystem that produces such goods and services. This is because the funding structure of universities allows them to engage in what is often termed as fundamental research. Many fundamental research topics have long-term, rather than immediately obvious, practical value, often in ways that can’t be anticipated in advance.
As an example right here at UAF, research on how Arctic ground squirrels hibernate in our extremely cold climate led to a series of discoveries by UAF researchers, including the fact that their body temperatures actually fall below freezing with no harm to the squirrels (amazing!). But these insights are more than just a matter of intellectual interest; scientists here at UAF and elsewhere are building on these discoveries to develop approaches to treat human diseases and trauma, even launching a spin-off company right here in ²ÊÉñix¹ÙÍø. Arguably, none of this would have been possible without a foundation of fundamental field work leading to discoveries about Arctic ground squirrel life history.
While fundamental research is a critical part of what universities do, we also conduct a great deal of research that has more immediate tangible benefits. Research at UAF contributes to the development of new energy and mining technologies, the monitoring of natural hazards, and sustainable fisheries, to name just a few, keeping us warm, safe and fed.
And whether the research is fundamental or applied, it contributes vast economic benefits to the state. A 2020 report found that are directly linked to research spending, about one-quarter of which are jobs outside of the university. All of these funded employees are buying goods and services from additional community businesses, further contributing to the state economy. In addition, research-linked jobs play an important role in preparing the next generation for the workforce, both in industry and academia, through undergraduate and graduate student positions.
To sum up, the answer to the question posed at the beginning of this column seems clear: Public dollars fund research in order to fund an array of public goods that benefit us all. While we are currently facing some challenges to the research landscape, I’m confident that we will find ways to continue to support and grow our critical research mission.