The term you need is focused research organization (FRO). Eric Schmidt funds some via https://www.convergentresearch.org. There are other similar funding entities devoted to specific domains.
This is true, and the thing I didn't realize before starting a company is that you get lots of money back through these tax rebates if you are pre-revenue since you have expenses and no retained earnings.
I believe you get money back from tax credits. But tax rebates only occur when you deduct expenses from current income and rebate money you've already overpaid in as taxes, which, if you have no current income you would not have paid in these tax amounts, and means expense amounts go in a "savings account for expenses" to use whenever in the future you have income. (that's a little too complicated but at a certain point I had to quit)
Nature has written a few times about FROs, see https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00018-5.
It is worth noting that more conventional for-profit startups which are heavy on R&D can also benefit from government grants and tax rebates.
I am also trying to spin off from Academia. If you are interested in connecting, see email in my profile.