> effectively banned
This simply isn't true. Not as much may have been invested in said research, but that's more a reflection of the lack of a business case for such things. They are not a magical panacea to all of nuclear's woes.
Your logic reminds me of people who confuse consumer preference with boycotts.
The lack of a business case is do to the regulatory environment. The nuclear regulatory agency that was set up to license new nuclear plants just didn't. For decades they stalled all applications. That's why the industry died.