Pure Research vs. Applied Research
Within the broad definition of research, there are two distinctions: pure
and applied.
Pure research is for the sake of curiosity and functions to advance
knowledge for its own sake. This type of research is usually carried out
in government-funded projects by University research facilities or
specific government laboratories.
Applied research is for the sake of technological advancements. This
research anticipates that the results found will lead to the development
of commercially viable goods or processes.
There is a relationship between these two types of research: pure research
generates new ideas and applied research takes these ideas to create new
inventions. Then, through development, the new inventions are transformed
into commercial products. This is a simple model to understand the
different types of research and the eventual development of new products.
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