It's a question Lord Drayson himself posed at the Royal Society last night, and on hand to respond were some heavyweights from the world of science and technology. You can see the talks here.
This is not a new issue for scientists, of course, but it is one that is bound to receive more attention when times are tough. Investing in science can be a major driver for economies, but what is the cost of cherry-picking those disciplines most likely to make money, while letting others wither on the vine? Blue skies research will undoubtedly suffer, but is such science a luxury in today's climate? Is it worthwhile funding the Large Hadron Collider at Cern? Or should that money be spent on exploiting solar power to break our addiction to fossil fuels?
