New funding for quantum systems underlines the need for basic research

As scientists, we must continue to remind the public of the importance of basic research. Research driven by the interest and curiosity of scientists extends the boundaries of what we know and what we can measure, and that often leads to completely unexpected discoveries. The scientific principles underlying many of the things we rely on in modern life—including cell phones, microwaves, and magnetic resonance imaging—were discovered in the pursuit of fundamental knowledge.

My favorite example is GPS, made possible by the atomic clock invented to test Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Despite a spectacular history of providing new technologies, long-term basic research is increasingly difficult for corporations, universities, and national laboratories to pursue because of limited science funding.

That’s why announcements like the one made today by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation are such good news for science. This morning, the Moore Foundation introduced its new initiative, Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems (EPiQS), which will dedicate more than $90 million over the next five years to basic research in one subfield of condensed-matter physics. EPiQS will support efforts to investigate the unexpected and unexplored properties of quantum materials. I applaud the Moore Foundation for its support of that field, which has been the focus of some of my own research.

In quantum materials, large numbers of electrons synchronize their motion to produce fascinating emergent phenomena, such as high-temperature superconductivity and the occurrence of objects that behave like particles with fractional charge. Those phenomena have usually eluded prediction, even though the properties of the individual electrons are well understood. A classic analogy posits that knowing the properties of a grain of sand doesn’t guarantee the ability to predict avalanches in a growing sand pile.

With recent innovations in nanotechnology and quantum control of matter, as well as advances in theory, fresh opportunities have arisen for examining emergent properties of quantum materials in new ways. That progress enables scientists to ask more profound questions and pave the way to unanticipated and potentially world-changing technological applications.

While federal agencies continue to support research in quantum materials, the reorienting of large industrial research labs that used to provide many top scientists with the resources and freedom to pursue curiosity-driven research in the field has left a large funding gap. It is exciting to see a renowned philanthropy such as the Moore Foundation step up to the plate. Philanthropists can’t (and shouldn’t try to) fill the funding void alone, but programs like EPiQS are an important step toward creating a funding landscape for basic research in which philanthropies play an integral role.

It is critical for society to support research deemed valuable by the scientific community, even if that research is not directed to solving a specific technological challenge. Its power and importance lie in its unpredictability, but that unpredictability is why basic research is underfunded and why it is so encouraging that the Moore Foundation has stepped in to help. I can only hope that other foundations will follow its example.

Marc Kastner is Donner Professor of Science and dean of the School of Science at MIT. He serves on the science advisory board of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.