The cost of scientific excellence – could it be expensive and out of reach?

There is a considerable effort to understand the complex relation between the amount of financial investments and the corresponding research outcomes and achieved outputs. More and more, researchers are asked to prepare a detailed budget plan, and justify the used financial resources. The funding agencies, professional organizations, investors, industries, and governments on the other hand are under pressure to be savvy with their spending and they are keen to allocate the money in the most efficient way to reach their goals (1).