The distinction you're making is more about _fundamental_ research vs. _applied_ research, but it is research nevertheless. From the first hit I found on Googl

The distinction you're making is more about _fundamental_ research vs. _applied_ research, but it is research nevertheless. From the first hit I found on Google: * Fundamental researches mainly aim to answer the questions of why, what or how and they tend to contribute the pool of fundamental knowledge in the research area. * Opposite to fundamental research is applied research that aims to solve specific problems, thus findings of applied research do have immediate practical implications.