Chapter 81 The Future or the Present
When the topic of awards in scientific research came up, Arthur immediately thought of the famous Nobel Prize from the future.
Covering physics, medicine, chemistry, literature, and peace, it was one of the most authoritative and international scientific awards of the future.
If Arthur remembered correctly, the renowned Nobel Prize would be awarded for the first time this year, in 1901.
Although he wasn't sure of the exact date, judging by the lack of response from the European scientific community so far, it seemed the Nobel Prize had yet to be awarded.
If Arthur acted quickly, it might be possible to create and award his own prize before the Nobel had its first ceremony, potentially taking its place in history.
The Nobel Prize was established according to the will of Alfred Bernhard Nobel, a famous Swedish chemist.
Nobel allocated most of his estate—worth around two million pounds—to the establishment of the prize. In an era when the average European annual income was only a few dozen pounds, this was an immense fortune to anyone.
This was also one of the key reasons the Nobel Prize quickly became one of the most prestigious scientific awards in the world.
Even the first recipients of the Nobel Prize were said to have received at least 150,000 Swedish krona in prize money, equivalent to twenty years' salary for a senior Swedish professor at the time.
Winning such a prize meant earning two decades' worth of income in one go. Anyone would be tempted, let alone scientists desperate for research funding.
"Do you have any concrete plans?" Arthur asked.
Establishing an award was indeed an effective strategy, especially when most major awards of the future had not yet been created or gained prominence.
With enough financial backing and large-scale promotion in Europe, a newly founded award could quickly become the most sought-after prize in the European scientific community.
"Your Highness, our aim is to attract people to Australia, and right now, the country lacks talent across all fields. So I suggest we don't limit our focus to the scientific community. Any research that benefits the country should qualify. We can establish a prestigious and authoritative main award and divide it into many smaller categories. We could host the ceremony annually or semi-annually, awarding people from all over the world who contribute," Butler Hunter said with a smile. "Trust me, Your Highness—once people find out the prize money exceeds what they could earn in a lifetime, even an idiot will find a way to invent something."
No one would turn down a fortune they could never earn in their entire life. Even those deeply immersed in scientific research worry about insufficient funding and would be tempted by the offer.
What's more, once the newly established award became prestigious and authoritative on a global scale, the fame that came with it would become another irresistible lure.
Both fame and fortune—this is a combination that no one in the world can resist.
Based on current European income levels, most commoners earned less than fifty pounds per year.
Professors and scientists with some success in research might make a few hundred to a thousand pounds a year.
Only those with exceptional abilities, or those who had started their own companies and generated revenue, could raise their income above a thousand pounds annually.
"A solid proposal, Butler Hunter. If I give it my full support, how soon could the award officially be launched?" Arthur asked, nodding in approval.
"Your Highness, considering Australia's distance from Europe, it would take at least half a year—around October—for us to officially announce the award," Hunter estimated after a moment.
Half a year wasn't very long, especially since even the shortest voyage between Europe and Australia took about a month.
However, establishing the award in Australia had one significant drawback: the geographical distance made it difficult to create a sensation in Europe.
"Butler Hunter, why don't we launch the award in Europe first?" Arthur asked with a smile. "By founding the award in Europe, we can receive applications faster from scientists, and the impact on the European scientific community will be much greater. Once the award earns a reputation and authority in Europe, we can move the judging institution to Australia."
After all, Europe was still the center of the world. If a newly established prize wanted to quickly gain recognition, reputation, and authority, founding it in Europe was the smart move.
To Europeans, Australia was still a wild and distant land. An award based in Australia would be seen as inferior to those based in Europe.
Even if Arthur offered far more money than other prizes, gaining widespread acceptance in the European scientific world would still be difficult.
But launching it in Europe would change everything. Europeans naturally placed more trust in awards based on their continent, and generous prize money would only accelerate the process.
Once Arthur's award became globally recognized and respected in the scientific world, it wouldn't matter if it were hosted in the most remote corner of Africa—it would still be the most prestigious prize.
This was much like how future capitalists operated: during the early stages of capturing a market, they catered to the public at all costs, even at personal loss.
Once they dominated the market and became the industry leader, they could dictate the rules.
At that point, even if they reclaimed everything they'd previously lost, no one could object—because those who might have objected had already been eliminated during the competition, and the rest would have no choice but to accept it.
"Setting it up in Europe will quickly raise our award's prestige, and Europeans will be more willing to recognize it. But it will undermine our plan to improve Australia's image in the minds of scientists. Getting those scientists to immigrate to Australia may take several more years," Butler Hunter replied, frowning.
This was a classic case of wanting both the fish and the bear's paw. Should they pursue rapid recognition in Europe or take immediate advantage of the award's benefits to draw more scientists to immigrate? It was a difficult choice.
The first option didn't necessarily exclude the benefits of the second—it just meant waiting longer.
But Australia was currently in a golden age of development. Any wasted time would be a severe loss for the country.
"That's fine, Butler Hunter. We need to take the long view. While it might seem that founding the award in Australia would more immediately benefit our immigration plans, starting it in Europe and moving it later will achieve the same result eventually. A widely recognized prize will bring changes to Australia that a hastily founded award never could. What we need is a steady, long-term flow of immigrants—not just a temporary influx, right?" Arthur concluded with a smile.
(End of Chapter)
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