[joelthelion]

Are you implying scientific papers are only useful to people who work inside academic institutions? Isn't the whole point of research to be made available to people in the private sector who actually use the research to make products?

[dalke]

I think the first is the OP's implication. However, product development is not the only point of research. How many products are possible from, say, landing a probe on a comet? Or modeling galaxy formation?

Therefore, no, product development is not the whole point of research.