How about LIGO? Are there some 4km interferometers I can rent for a few years of gravitational wave observations I want to do? Has Elon Musk launched an orbital X-Ray telescope like Chandra I can get some time on without breaking the bank? If I want to do some bleeding edge radio work, where do I sign up to decide where the next Arecibo is pointed?

I’m taking you at your word that you have experience with astronomy research. But that makes it impossible to take you at your word when you appear to lack the imagination to come up with observational astronomy you can’t do without institutional support.