Board Thread:Fiction Universe Discussion/@comment-4242472-20180411162824/@comment-4242472-20180422190658

It does seem odd that even larger powers might be secretive of scientific pursuits that don't have direct military applications.

All fine and good to protect your advantage but when countries band together and pool their resources for huge research projects, the results come much faster and better funded. So partnerships between prominent universities or research groups could certainly be a thing.