Council News Vol. 7, no. 2

DNA. These extraordinarily useful reagents
revolutionized biomedical research, spawning a
host of new basic discoveries, some of which
progressed to practical
applications.
New nanotechnologies,
such as microchips, will
likely be the next triggers to explode basic
biomedical knowledge.

Research is inspired by:

Considerations of use?

No

Yes

Yes

Quest for
fundamental
understanding?

Pure basic Use-inspired
research research
Bohr's Quadrant Pasteur's
Quadrant
(Activity in pursuit Pure applied
of neither research
knowledge nor E
application) Qdrnt
Quadrant

No

In the book Pasteur's
Quadrant, author Donald
Stokes makes the case for this scenario. He portrays NIH as a model government agency for
melding pure basic research with topics that address societal needs.
Published by the Brookings Institute, Pasteur's
Quadrant credits NIH with successfully following a
path carved out by Louis Pasteur, built on a vibrant
interchange between basic research and the needs
for knowledge that drive it.
Pasteur's model is fashioned around the concept of
use-inspired research, a continuing cross-fertilization between basic and applied areas (see graphic
below).

Following in Posteur's footsteps
Though the use-inspired paradigm is not widely
used by biomedical scientists, it, in fact, underlies
how NIH funds research.
NIH is moving toward recognizing the importance
of use-inspired research, by creating new applied
research study sections and through its bioengineering initiative, which bolsters exchanges between scientists and engineers. Nevertheless, the
debate on where to draw the line between funding
basic versus applied research will surely persist and
will do so to the benefit of both NIH and the
research community.
Dynamic Model of Research

Research can be sectored into
four quadrants: pure basic, useinspired, pure applied, and a
fourth, which is driven by neither
knowledge nor application but
interest in a given topic (see
graphic at top of page).
Pasteur earns the title to the useinspired quadrant because of his
success in applying basic research
to achieve practical ends.
Pasteur's Quadrant cited NIH as the
federal agency with the best model
for generating use-inspired research
through its broad range of support
of research projects spanning the
range from very basic to applied.

Understanding
Pure basic
research

Improved
Use-inspire
basic resear

Technology
d Pure applied
ch R&D

fA

f

Understanding

Technology

Existing

NIH News-continued on page 19