I really don't see why people dislike this so much. Reasons for this ID being implemented are pretty much obvious:
-With a Freelancer ID you can not use those fancy transports with more than 3600 cargo space.. Keep in mind, that research ships are usually rather big.
-When you are carrying a Freelancer ID everyone will think you are a Freelancer Mercenary(Well, duh) and sometimes even try to hire you randomly for whatever reason.
How is that hard to understand? Why does this get so many negative comments? It's not even a free ID that you can buy anywhere, you have to apply for it.
If you want to roleplay a researcher with a Freelancer ID, then go ahead, no one's stopping you. But if you are not one of the lazy ones, go ahead and write a short SRP and apply for it.
Don't be afraid that it will be used for powertrading. I am sure the admins will heavily monitor people using it and powertrading will turn into powersanctioning.
A Freelancer and a Researcher are two different things.