At 11:41 AM 7/3/01 +0200 J. van Baardwijk wrote:
>First, R&D costs huge amounts of money. Problem with that is, the companies
>that have the means do to that research don't mind spending all that money,
>but only if it will lead to profits within a few years. Unfortunately, R&D
>takes a lot longer, so big business wasn't (and presumably still isn't)
>very interested.
Define "few years."
Personally, I am reading all the time in the _Economist_ about corporations
that are spending 3-10 year to bring the fruits of R&D to market. These
sorts of time frames, for example, are very common in the pharmaceutical,
medical, and disruptive technology industries.
>Second, you'll need help from the government, on one hand for co-funding
>R&D, on the other hand for promoting use of energy from renewable sources
>(campaigns to make the public aware of the benefits, subsidies for
>individuals and businesses to stimulate the switch). Unfortunately,
>governments are bureaucratic organizations that are notoriously slow. First
>they'll form a committee to formulate a plan. Then a committee is formed to
>get the whole thing organized. Next, the actual research has to be done.
>Then the next committee comes along to evaluate the results, after which
>the cabinet, Congress and Senate have to discuss the evaluation report.
>Once everyone pretty much agrees on what to do next, yet another committee
>is formed to ... (etcetera). Sounds familiar?
>
>Third, it wouldn't be the first time that one government starts pumping
>money into a project, and then the next government (of different political
>color) decides to shut down the project or at least make some major cuts in
>the project's budget.
And to think that you want these self-same governments running health care
systems, where actual *lives* are at stake..... ;-)
<ducking>
JDG
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
We are products of the same history, reaching from Jerusalem and
Athens to Warsaw and Washington. We share more than an alliance.
We share a civilization. - George W. Bush, Warsaw, 06/15/01
