He also had a keen mind for seeing how the science's undercurrents have changed over the course of his career. At Macleans, Paul Wells emphasized Pawson's views on science policy in Canada, quoting him thusly:
The ability of Canadian scientists to dream and make the kind of truly innovative discoveries that lead to awards is increasingly compromised by the declining levels of funding based primarily on excellence and vision, and the rise of support for so-called translational and targeted research, which is too frequently of questionable value. Canadian funding bodies are increasingly putting as much weight on non-scientific factors such as socioeconomic benefits as they are on scientific quality in deciding who to support.
They are entirely at liberty to do so, but they must realize that this strategy compromises innovation of the sort that will change the world. The funding that allowed me as a young assistant professor to do meaningful science 25 years ago is less readily available today, and without it we will not win more prizes, regardless of the volume of nominations.The changes last 25 years have opened a niche for foundations to funding basic research. Science is a very competitive environment and the attention given to basic and commercializable research comes in two very distinct styles, and along with Pawson's concerns for basic research, even industrial folds are increasingly vocal of the erosion of the basic research pipeline.
