I'd assign scientists a "pension" every time they make a worthy discovery. That pension would be a monthly payment of a fixed dollar amount, it would be inalienable and paid for the rest of the scientist's life regardless of other achievements. Publishing a minor, but worthy, paper would give a 100 usd/month grant. Getting a Nobel prize would give, say, 1 million a year. However the deflation would gradually erase value of the grants.