An extremely interesting paper on the role of the state in science and innovation can be found at http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Entrepreneurial_State_-_web.pdf

It was written by a professor at SPRU, where, years ago, I was a junior academic. Even back in the 1980s there was much discussion about this and what might be termed the ‘gaming’ of science citation indexes (Irvine & Martin)

Allocating public funds for both applied and basic (disinterested) research has always been problematic. Fashion, sexy statistics and ‘wow’ concepts always win out.

One way forward (and this is an admittedly half-baked, five minute idea, triggered by this piece) could be for university science departments to buddy up with their legal, business and other colleagues. Regular cross-disciplinary gatherings could then brainstorm possible future patents that could spin-out from yet to be funded basic research and, where possible, some of these could then be prepared and filed.

Such activities would promote cross-departmental innovation, allow genuinely disinterested research to both raise its profile and appear more meaningful, and help protect potentially important future areas from constraints imposed by patent trolls.