A lot of science nowadays is data collection and crunching. The reductionist viewpoint of finding "laws" is over, The complexity of biology, which is the majority of science today, is too great for humans to even attempt to fathom.

In this age of computation government funding with grants, with all the inefficiencies and politics, is a waste of money and a drain on the talents of many of the brightest individuals in society.

The current model should be ditched and replaced by the netflix prize or darpa grand challenge model. Only then will real progress be made.