Ah, but this is a completely different case. Niculinux hasn't mentioned starting the research at all.
Yes, if the cost is very low, there is a chance for researching it for free, without anyone actually spending time on it. Works as designed. Unfortunately, you still need to start the research.
I never expected people to start a research and not assign any scientists to it... Weird, but okay.
And I finally fixed that thread title, thanks...