In general, you wouldn't know what a new discovery would contribute to technological advancement or productivity increases :) If you did, it's arguably because

In general, you wouldn't know what a new discovery would contribute to technological advancement or productivity increases :) If you did, it's arguably because the research you're doing is an incremental improvement over something already existing, rather than something entirely new (not that there's anything bad with doing either of those things.) Putting these kinds of things on the back burner may be a good thing only if you're sure that the money being spent on it will be used for something more necessary/efficient/whatever.