Prompt: Many people believe that scientific research should be carried out and controlled by the governments rather than private companies. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Some argue that scientific research should be under the full control of government authorities. While governments indeed have to play a critical role in technological development, I believe that cooperation between government and private funds could better serve the purpose. Ċ There are various reasons why people believe that scientific research should be controlled by governments. Firstly, scientific research, due to its distinct feature, requires tremendous effort, time and money. It is assumed that only the government, with the well-being of the whole society bear in mind, could invest in these projects continuously and will not sacrifice the long-term goal for a temporary financial gain. Secondly, some scientific projects, if left unregulated, are likely to cause some social or ethical controversies, and thus compromise the value of the society. For example, genetic editing has led to plenty of disputes and is currently under government regulation. Finally, part of the research funding comes from tax revenue, on this account, people want their tax money spent under the scrutiny of government authorities. Ċ However, as long as these scientific projects are led by the government, I believe the participation of private companies will definitely contribute to the ultimate goal. The main reason is that government officials are no experts in either the scientific or business sector, while since private funds are profit-driven, they are more specialized in the commercialization of scientific results. With real economic gains generated by those research, relevant personnel could feel more motivated to carry out further study. Furthermore, government officials sometimes are shorthanded and lack efficiency. Without such collaboration, they could easily be overwhelmed by massive work and communication. Ċ In conclusion, I believe that scientific research could be better carried out and commercialized with the collaboration of the government and private companies, provided they can be strictly regulated by officials.