I'm a fan of increased federal funding, but there's also a massive problem with the pricing of scientific supplies and chemicals. We commonly see 2-3x and sometimes 10x differences in prices for the exact same item from the same manufacuturer. We're (https://labspend.com) tackling this problem but it's massive and not often mentioned or known by people outside of the lab. We've consulted with companies and help them identify millions in savings.

A couple of issues contribute which are the pricing isn't transparent like hospitals in the USA. Also there are only 2-3 major suppliers and for certain items it's essentially a monopoly.