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- In Progress - About Grants like the Wuhan one.
 The Wuhan grant funding level sounds like an STTR grant. Like these STTR/SBIR ones Small Business Innovation Research = SBIR Small Business Technology Transfer = STTR The way (SBIR/STTR)'s work is the Primary Investigator (PI) proposes an idea and if it is selected the PI runs with it. Now if the PI is in a US University and does work on the University property then the University GRABS %60 to %80 of the grant for use fees (rent) of their property. This means if the PI has someplace else to do it that can't GRAB the grant and charges a lot less money for USE fees (rent) it's in the PI's interest to do so. Wuhan wouldn't be able to grab the grant so a PI with a good connection to the Wuhan lab could make his money go much much further or pay himself a lot more. Now as to the grants/monies themselves. Government agencies are required to spend %2 to %4 (depending on agency) of their budget on these research grants. They really don't fit in their agency game plans and most agencies hate them. Seriously! So they really don't pay too much attention where they are done or what for. This is why I think it's a stupid waste of money! Most of these (ALL) grants would never pass a corporate Return on Investment (ROI) test and don't really generate useful research that is needed. They are merely a hidden subsidy to university administrations with the PI groups actual expenditure on R&D seen as the negative by the universities. So if the STTR was done in Wuhan the university that PI was associated with would be upset they didn't get the hidden subsidy. Now for DOD SBIR/STTR grants it's even crazier. A major needs to get promoted so he doesn't get cut. There are 3 main ways for a major to get promoted. 1) Excel in actual combat. 2) Take part in a UN (or like) peacekeeping effort 3) Develop a new weapon (even if it doesn't fit any military plan or need) Reason #3 is behind most military SBIR/STTR grants. Posted by: 3dc 2020-04-27 |
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