Why Research Takes Such a Long Time?

Research is a slow process of generating new knowledge that creates benefits in the market or for people's quality of life. Regurgitating old research is easy. You simply take what has already been discovered and repost it on the same lines as existing thinkers. New research requires a different type of skill that even some of the smartest people don't have

First there is a level of understanding of existing knowledge. This is the 10K hours rule. It takes about this much time to grasp what other experts are saying and create an unconscious understanding of the deeper mechanics of existing models.

One must then begin to experiment with existing knowledge to see what components fit together and what doesn't. Many times this starts with simple mental play and imagination to see new ways of using existing information. New models are formed as the pieces come together.

Upon generating a few new ideas it is important to actually try and connect the components and experiment on them to see if they are significant. Development of formal and informal mechanisms of test create an understanding through success and failure that new ways of doing thing are possible.

Once a tested model is created it is possible to have other people test it. Publication of ideas allows other researchers to see what was already has been tested and complete their own analysis and adjustments of the findings to create a growing, changing, and updating model. Those models that are successful will stick around for a long time.

It takes time to get the creative juices rolling and generate new ideas. It takes its own course and while you can speed and slow it sometimes it is based in how willing to brain is create new ideas. The testing itself takes time and the formation of new models also takes additional time. The process of science can be sped up with resources, manpower and lifestyle but there are limits. Changing paradigms happens with creative intelligence that run their own course.