That research cost is a drain on university resources may be a good line for administrators to use on the federal government in their quest to increase the funding for indirect costs of research. However, university administrators shouldn’t get carried away by their own rhetoric and lose sight of the global picture. Research is what makes or breaks a university’s international reputation. It is an asset and not a liability.
You can read the full text of this important piece by Dr. Nassif Ghoussoub, Professor of Mathematics at UBC, here.