How important is Developmental Biology?

BSDB members are encouraged to voice their opinion about the importance of Developmental Biology. A great opportunity is now provided by The Node.  They started a debate documented as a Storify based on the following rationale:

In the current climate of budget constraints and political pressure there is a noticeable shift in the type of science preferred by funders, with funding increasingly going to projects with clear translational potential. Developmental biology is a basic science, but it feeds into our understanding of disease and regenerative medicine. But do funders recognise this? In other words: Is Developmental Biology at risk because of the increasing emphasis on applied science?

We encourage you to participate in this debate. If you want to leave comments, just go to the Blog post or tweet your opinion copying @the_Node in.  Contributions will reveal an insight into the current thoughts within our community but also provide arguments and facts that can be used for a science communication and outreach campaign promoting Developmental Biology, as it was decided by the BSDB committee on its last meeting.

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