Transformers are an applied science: https://patents.google.com/patent/US10740433B2/en

Basic research would be something like optimal control theory, which came well before the transformer design.

I'm not trying to be evasive; I can see how my distinction could be seen as conveniently just outside industry's purview. Put it this way: I think companies, particularly small ones, are incentivized to pursue well-known methods/materials. Innovation modulates and optimizes.