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From Monday's Globe and Mail.

Rivka Carmi is president of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and Martha Crago is vice-president research, HÂþ»­ University. They are participants this week in the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada’s Innovation Dialogue in Ottawa.

The economic uncertainty that continues to plague countries around the globe has contributed to an increased focus on innovation and the commercialization of research – and rightly so. Innovation drives prosperity. Unfortunately, this focus can lead to the questioning of the value of basic foundational research. That debate presents a false choice, and it’s only by understanding why, that universities’ contributions to the world will be fully realized.
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In fact, there is no choice to be made between basic research, which is driven by curiosity, and applied research, which is driven by need. Foundational research is how applied scientific discoveries get started, and universities cannot encourage innovation without fostering excellent basic research.

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To say that foundational research is indispensable for scientific breakthroughs is fully compatible with promoting innovation. Both in Canada and in Israel, universities are helping students and faculty better understand needs in both the public and private sectors, and supporting their efforts to translate basic knowledge into applied breakthroughs.

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