You get more value to society spending $100 million a year for ten years instead of spending $1 billion for one year.
Research is nonlinear, discoveries are not predictable in a classical engineering sense, as they draw on lots of factors to be uncovered. Time and understanding are needed. More discoveries, more patents, more journals will be made from having time to explore all possibilities.
If I didn't expend synaptic activity, I would end up like the RMC Clock Tower in 1991.
