Applied research is experimental verification of theoretical models
Applied research is the process of designing and building experimental systems that can be used to perform significant observations that verify or falsify an intuitive insight.
Research is sometimes categorized as applied versus basic research. I find the terms Theoretical Research and Experimental Research to be more helpful. In Physics research, theoretical research forms a theory for what we observe. That theory is often supported by mathematical models. However, in order for the theory to reach widespread acceptance, it needs to be experimentally verified.
Forming a theory is one type of skill, akin to forming an intuitive insight about a computing system. However, it's a separate skill to design an experimental system that can verify or falsify the theory.