Furthermore, if the technology works eventually, you may already be retired (if not passed away!) In my opinion, the motivation rather comes from the fascinatin

Furthermore, if the technology works eventually, you may already be retired (if not passed away!) In my opinion, the motivation rather comes from the fascinating scientific questions behind those projects. Whether it works as an industry may be "just a plus". Disclaimer: did a phd in tokamaks / experimental data crunching