We know it's hard to predict the future, and how research might be useful - lasers are a famous example. So yeah, research institutions tying research to the va

We know it's hard to predict the future, and how research might be useful - lasers are a famous example. So yeah, research institutions tying research to the value of the contributions, instead of rewarding quality research is maybe worthy of criticism (but sadly common). Personally, I'd guess it's the two-faced-ness of it all is a bigger one. Not being supportive, i.e. demoting/blocking tenure for Karikó, while at the same time being happy to patent the research, trying to use it as PR 7 years later (once it was shown to be useful), and potentially strategically omitting details. Just leaves a bad taste behind when you find out about the background. Probably without the PR, there'd be less criticism.