Editing Funding of science (section)

==History==
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2023}}
Conducting research requires funds. The funding trend for research has gone from a closed patronage system to which only few could contribute, to an open system with multiple funding possibilities.

In the early Zhou dynasty (-c. 6th century to 221 BCE), government officials used their resources to fund schools of thought of which they were patron. The bulk of their philosophies are still relevant, including [[Confucianism]], [[Legalism (Chinese philosophy)|Legalism]] and [[Taoism]].

During the Mayan Empire (-c. 1200–1250), scientific research was funded for religious purposes. Research there developed a Venus Table, showing precise astronomical data about the position of Venus in the sky. In Cairo (-c. 1283), the Mamluk Sultan [[Qalawun]] funded a monumental hospital, patronizing the medical sciences over the religious sciences. Furthermore, [[Tycho Brahe]] was given an estate (-c. 1576 – 1580) by his royal patron King [[Frederick II of Denmark|Frederik II]], which was used to build [[Uraniborg]], an early research institute.

=== The age of the academies ===
In 1700–1799, scientific academies became central creators of scientific knowledge. Funded by state sponsorship, academic societies were free to manage scientific developments. Membership was exclusive in terms of gender, race and class, but academies opened the world of research up beyond the traditional patronage system.

In 1799, Louis-Nicolas Robert patented the paper machine. When he quarreled over invention ownership, he sought financing from the Fourdrinier brothers. In 19th century Europe, businessmen financed the application of science to industry.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as the pace of technological progress increased before and during the [[Industrial Revolution]], most scientific and technological research was carried out by individual [[inventor]]s using their own funds. A system of [[patent]]s was developed to allow inventors a period of time (often twenty years) to commercialize their inventions and recoup a profit, although in practice many found this difficult.

The [[Manhattan Project]] (1942 – 1946) had cost $27 billion and employed 130,000 people, many of them scientists charged with producing the first nuclear weapons. In 1945, 70 scientists signed the [[Szilard petition]], asking [[President Truman]] to make a demonstration of the power of the bomb before using it. Most of the signers lost their jobs in military research.

In the twentieth century, scientific and technological research became increasingly systematized, as [[corporation]]s developed, and discovered that continuous investment in [[research and development]] could be a key element of competitive success. It remained the case, however, that imitation by competitors - circumventing or simply flouting patents, especially those registered abroad - was often just as successful a strategy for companies focused on innovation in matters of organization and production technique, or even in marketing.

In 2025, many funders make research outcomes transparent and accessible in data repositories or Open-access. Some researchers turn to crowdfunding in search of new projects to fund. Private and public foundations, governments, and others sponsor opportunities for researchers. As new funding sources become available, the research community grows and becomes accessible to a wider, and more diverse group of scientists.