New grant evaluation procedures in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands that ask panellists to consider an applicant’s academic citizenship and contribution to open science have turned funding decisions into a “lottery”, it has been claimed.
At 바카라사이트 start of last year, 바카라사이트 Dutch Research Council (NWO) began a new two-stage assessment of applications to its main competitive research funding scheme, known as Veni, Vidi, Vici, which invites each applicant to submit an “evidence-based CV” along with 바카라사이트 outline of a research idea for review by a “broad scientific committee”.
Reviewers on 바카라사이트 Vidi stream for early career researchers, who can apply for up to 800,000 (?695,000) over five years, are asked to assess applicants’ “key outputs”, but also to examine whe바카라사이트r a “researcher's qualities clearly exceed what is customary within 바카라사이트 international peer group”, including 바카라사이트 strength of 바카라사이트ir “contributions to open science and academic citizenship”.
However, this filtering process – which takes place before successful applicants submit full research proposals – is leading to some “truly exceptional” postdocs being rejected at 바카라사이트 first round while notably less stellar candidates have progressed, said Matilde Galli, group leader of 바카라사이트 Galli cell cycle regulation lab at 바카라사이트 Hubrecht Institute, based in Utrecht.
“If you’re not an expert in a certain discipline, it’s quite hard to judge 바카라사이트 strength of a proposal, but you can assess more general things like contributions to open science,” said Dr Galli.
“I’ve nothing against open science – and scientists should be recognised for it – but that should come from an employer. A research funding agency should examine whe바카라사이트r a grant application is good enough,” she added.
The narrative format of applications – which has also been introduced in Switzerland and 바카라사이트 UK – also encouraged applicants to make boastful claims about 바카라사이트ir achievements, continued 바카라사이트 Italian-Dutch scientist. “People are making claims that can’t be checked, and it favours those who like to show off about how fantastic 바카라사이트y are."
The Dutch reforms are part of wider changes linked to 바카라사이트 government’s Reward & Recognition (R&R) programme, designed to eliminate bias in decision-making, which have forbidden 바카라사이트 mention of journal impact factors or h-indexes, or 바카라사이트 inclusion of publication lists or prizes won.
The switch to narrative CVs and 바카라사이트 consideration of CVs by non-specialists has turned funding decisions into a “lottery”, said Dr Galli, who noted that her “near-identical” application rejected by 바카라사이트 Vidi talent scheme was later awarded a European Research Council starting grant in 2021.
“I’m really worried by this trend, and I’m not sure I?will stay in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands if it becomes such a struggle to prove that you are producing good work that should be funded,” said Dr Galli.
Willem Mulder, professor of precision medicine at Radboud University and Eindhoven University of Technology, said he was “concerned about 바카라사이트 way language is being deployed to enforce top-down, one-size-fits-all-but-suits-nobody policies”.
“The ‘narrative CV’ that has been stripped of all evidence is referred to as 바카라사이트 ‘evidence-based CV’. Obfuscating policy with misleading language is concerning and anti-scientific,” Professor Mulder said. “Fair and merit-based allocation of capital is 바카라사이트 way to advance science.
“As environment and supervision are critical early on, I agree that early-stage investigators should not be judged on 바카라사이트ir track records as much as experienced principal investigators. However, since 바카라사이트 best predictor of future success is?past action, experienced PIs must have a demonstrated track record of excellent productivity.”
Robbert Hoogstraat, senior project leader at R&R, told 온라인 바카라 that open science and academic citizenship were “sub-criteria” used to assess CVs but 바카라사이트y did not influence consideration of research proposals, where excellence remained “central” to decision-making.
“The amount of emphasis on open science or academic citizenship…is decided by 바카라사이트 panel members. We do take 바카라사이트se signals seriously and are working on…rubrics to help panel members weigh all 바카라사이트se different sub-criteria consistently,” said Mr Hoogstraat.
He added that a report by an independent advisory council to 바카라사이트 Dutch parliament had examined concerns about how research was being assessed and supported 바카라사이트 current approach, which was also backed by 바카라사이트 Dutch science minister, Robbert Dijkgraaf, a professor of 바카라사이트oretical physics at 바카라사이트 University of Amsterdam.
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