Tomado de: http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/research-main.html

Recent Trends in Science Research

There has been a noticeable shift in philosophy regarding the types of research receiving federal funding in recent years. Universities get much of their money from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Research at the Berkeley National Laboratory is funded primarily by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Congress has a strong influence on what types of research get funded, because it allocates money to these various federal agencies. Some members of Congress want to see less money given to basic research projects that probably will not lead to applied work for quite some time. This philosophy contributed to the demise of the Super-Conducting Super Collider (SSC) project in Texas in 1993. At LBNL, funding was cut for two facilities that had played important roles in basic research in past years. The Heavy Ion Linear Accelerator (HILAC) was responsible for allowing scientists to create many of the "heavy" (transuranic) elements, while the Bevatron played a key role in nuclear medicine at the lab.

This shift in national priorities has greatly concerned many scientists. In fact, a group of 60 Nobel-prize winning researchers co-signed a letter that was sent to President Clinton and every member of Congress.