As scientists we often get criticised in that our discoveries are not relevant for the society, more even so in this COVID-19 crisis. We are not fast, we are not applied enough, we fail. These statements are most often correct. Science is an exercise of repeated failure. 1/n

This reminds me of a quote I once found from a chemist working with M Curie in the early XXth century: "Our most exciting discoveries might, at best, become footnotes". This should be in the entrance of every scientific institution, as an immediate ego-killer. 2/n

However, someday, someone, somewhere... will make that magic discovery that moves all of us forward. And that only happened because there was a collective investment in science. This is what policy makers (and society) need to understand. We should not be ashamed of failing. 3/n

That sentence from Curie´s chemist has never left me since I first read it. Our life, in a nusthell. 4/n

PS: I want to believe that even if I fail in discovering something relevant, my life was of use. I train people, give talks that may inspire others... And one day, when something extraordinary happens, perhaps a tiny-bit-part of it happened because we tried our best (and failed).