how much money should the government give to scientific research?

Question: how much money should the government give to scientific research?
- Keywords:
  funding,
  government,
  money
Asked by cai to Craig, Flavia, Giuditta, Jack, Sheona on 11 Nov 2015.
- Giuditta Perversi answered on 11 Nov 2015:
  
  I’m not a politician to give numbers on finances that are not mine, but I think it’ important that scientific research (be it basic or with immediate applications) is well funded.
  
  We all know that there is an economical crisis going on, but the Great Depression in the USA early last century actually proved that funding research is good to see a light at the end of the tunnel! Cutting everything will only make us more vulnerable when new problems arise, because we would have not been looking for solutions!
  
  Moreover, building research takes a lot more time than dismantle it, so once money have been cut it could take years and years after a refunding to get things as they were, even more to get them better.

Question: how much money should the government give to scientific research?