Thanks for the paper and I did find it interesting. However, funding innovation is a very complex enterprise in prioritization. Yes, there are a large number of worthwhile projects...no, there is not enough resources to fund them all.
So first of all, you need purpose. What are the most important problems and issues that will contribute most to growth of knowledge? Here is a snippet on what is important from what I wrote twenty years ago, but seems relevent even today...
Many of the great problems and great questions of science are simple to state because they support an important human need. Here is a list of these great questions:
Great Issues of Humanity:
1) ... Nature of matter;
2) ... Nature of action (gravity, charge, strong force, weak force);
3) ... Nature of time (universe, galaxy, solar system, life, civilization);
4) ... Nature of intelligence and information;
5) ... Origin and destiny of the universe;
6) ... Molecular basis of life.
Within the human needs basis (HNB), these great questions represent the purest form of curiosity driven research, often termed "basic research" but narrower. These questions represent the collective "curiosity" of humanity today, but have been the same questions throughout recorded history. The HNB knowledge need represents all of these great questions.
On the other hand, there are humanity problems that are the motivations for the vast majority of what is termed "basic" research. Each of these problems, though, can be attached to a particular need as indicated by the parenthetical note accompanying each problem.
Great Problems for Humanity:
1) Curing cancer (health);
2) Curing heart disease (health);
3) Curing aids (health);
4) Placing humans into space (knowledge);
5) Reducing energy costs (energy);
6) Improving transportation (transportation);
7) Cleaning up defense wastes (security);
8) Maintaining economic stability (money);
9) Reducing human environmental impact (environment);
10) Stabilizing population growth (environment);
11) Maintaining world peace (security);
12) Maintaining national defense (security);
13) Harnessing nuclear energy (energy);
14) Reducing crime (security).