Have you considered using the facilities and proximity to academic infrastructure to host academic conferences instead of full-time research? That might be a mo

Have you considered using the facilities and proximity to academic infrastructure to host academic conferences instead of full-time research? That might be a more realistic way to attract top talent when you are first starting. You would obviously want to do this in discussion with relevant nearby academic institutions, but being able to offer free accommodations for attendees + maybe some travel expenses could help to lure people for a week event, and a conference with the right attendees coming together can definitely benefit academic research. A similar option would be to host classes or seminars on cutting edge research, taught by one or a few top researchers and attended by post-docs. Not full-time, but a way to start. If researchers find it beneficial, if it's a conducive environment and the financials are right, if you master the role of "host," then you might be able to increase the number of conferences/seminars per year and, eventually, with a high-enough frequency, add full-time support staff and longer-term functionality (e.g., researcher-in-residence) that can lead to year-round activity. Maybe this is a slow approach, but even one well-run conference can be beneficial and you'll be able to learn how to do this and make connections along the way.