In this case, I suspect that the answer is that it creates a market where none existed before, because the price scientists were willing to pay was lower than the price where anyone could make money selling TEMs or SEMs.

I haven't ever written a grant proposal, but I have the impression that if the committee thinks you'll be wasting the grant money, you're less likely to get the grant. I'd be interested to hear about your grantwriting experiences, especially if they're different.