R&D labs aren't necessarily restricted to a single research group with a unique, well defined goal. Depending on their organization they can easily integrate more or less isolated units of self- or loosely-directed research driven by single individuals or small teams. Properly managed, I can see this kind of heterogeneity of agents performing at a level no single human ever could. There's a analogy with boosting to be made somewhere but I can't care to flesh it out right now.