That investment puts added pressure on him and his research team, but Crutcher isn't letting the pressure affect what happens in the lab. I recognize the risk, but I don't think that should prevent us from exploring novel ideas. We have to expect some dead ends along the way to discovering the most fruitful avenues that will provide solutions to treating complex diseases. With tight limits on federal funding through agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, Norman Pollack believes more researchers will be actively pursuing industrial funding and venture capital opportunities like Crutcher did. In fact, NIH is now required to set aside 2.5 percent of its funding for small business initiatives.
Regular grants are harder and harder to get.
So, this is driving people in the direction of small companies.