Just an observation, but I doubt even one percent of 07 SOT holders, past or current, have ever designed anything new, let alone even thought of designing anything new that might fall under the definition of "R&D".A legitimate reason to build or buy a pre or post sample by an 07 is research and development. Everything old is new again. Studying a WWI Maxim or MP18 might reveal an interesting design feature you could incorporate or modify in the new design you were sketching on a napkin. At worst you now know how not to do something.
Most of them use the SOT portion to make money buying and selling stuff like suppressors and doing transfers, but use the "07" manufacturing part only to make and/or buy new toys to play with.