You explain why new researchers would want to join, but why would top researchers want to? It seems like they lose money and time in exchange for that warm feeling you get when helping people. Would that be enough?
I think top researchers would only join (apart from the fuzzies) if they wanted to do something risky, like an AI person wanting to do something new that was not Deep Learning. There would be questions about whether they could build a community or find someone to publish what they were doing, but that if they succeeded they might get lots of funding down the line. But they would be getting funding from the other members of the syndicate as they were trying to work this out.
I think you are right about the government grants which might be a significant blocker.
I think top researchers would only join (apart from the fuzzies) if they wanted to do something risky, like an AI person wanting to do something new that was not Deep Learning. There would be questions about whether they could build a community or find someone to publish what they were doing, but that if they succeeded they might get lots of funding down the line. But they would be getting funding from the other members of the syndicate as they were trying to work this out.
I think you are right about the government grants which might be a significant blocker.