Returning to my Life with research, the last week demonstrated to me exactly how things can swing to and fro in research. Starting the week with the news that the quartz tubes that will go into making the catalytic reactor, had been ordered from the company of my choice, was certainly a positive thing. With that momentum, I also received a student who was interested in doing a research practical course for 6 weeks under my supervision. Thankfully he was not scared by the words of theoretical simulation of experimental data and agreed to discuss further the idea in the coming weeks. Back to the core issue in research, that funding for science is crucial to any progress that is meaningful in the field of applied research was glaringly visible in the (high) cost of quality Mass Flow Controllers (MFCs) which regulate gas flow through reactor systems at a certain pressure and flow rate. The technical details were worked out in consultation with an Application Scientist (I hope that such a designation becomes mine one day) from the company MKS instruments and the "Angebot" (meaning Quotation) as they say it in German was asked for. The Angebot promptly arrived on wednesday when we were away at an old atom keller where the first visions of German nuclear energy was conceived and later dismantled by the American army. If you are wondering as to why was I there in the middle of the week, it was for an institute trip. Till wednesday evening, the Angebot lay unattended on my table for me to take a note of it. It was very important for me to present the Angebot to my higher ups, which tells the exact cost of the construction and that all technical details were considered before zeroing on a specific product. The surprise was waiting for me when the Angebot was presented before my chief, who is the sanctioning authority. Scientifically reasonable but budget problems exists, was the reply I got. Budget problems plague this project ever since its conception. I can only think of an old Indian belief that what is destined to happen is decided at the very beginning of any act.

Now the ghost (pause in progress) is back but this time in the form of not the lack of funds but a even more critical situation of which I am hardly responsible for. The availability of shortage of funds in another domain of the expenditure, puts in doubt the utilization of funds available in sufficient amounts for materials for research. The project has to be put on hold until the administration debates over the fate of the funds in the coming week. For me though, it was nothing but another week spent in planning and arriving at cost figures for the building up of an experimental set up and a demoralizing pause in the proceedings for want of consent to utilize the available funds.

Is my research handicapped by constant struggle for want of funds? I do not think so, but rather the availability of funds for materials of funds is plenty. For a change, this is the problem when other domains of administration are in negative territory and eyeing the funds. The funds which might one day transform into the experimental set up still remain only on paper. I am no stranger to these situations and that keeps me moving, waiting patiently that something positive can still pounce upon me as a surprise.