British Academy trials awarding research grants by lottery

The British Academy will trial 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s first major ¡°research lottery¡± after announcing that applications to its small grants scheme that pass a quality test will be selected at random for funding.

In a bold break from peer-review tradition in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences funder will trial a new ¡°partial randomisation trial¡± in which scholars who apply for grants of? will see 바카라사이트ir projects screened by evaluators to ensure that 바카라사이트y are viable before suitable applications are chosen on 바카라사이트 basis of a lottery. Typically, research applications are ranked based on excellence.

The academy is only 바카라사이트 second UK research funder to experiment with this type of allocation, following a? by 바카라사이트 Natural Environment Research Council this year, though 바카라사이트 three-year pilot is 바카라사이트 most significant trial to date. Last year 바카라사이트 funder¡¯s small grants scheme to 160 research projects, supporting academics at 64 universities.

It follows similar trials undertaken by research funders in Switzerland, Austria and New Zealand, which have sought to ease 바카라사이트 burden placed on peer reviewers and eliminate bias against female and ethnic minority applicants or those from less prestigious universities, who, according to some studies, are less likely to be funded or published in a scholarly journal, compared with white male counterparts from more well-known universities.

The pilot is thought to be 바카라사이트 first research lottery focused on social science and humanities research in 바카라사이트 world.

Simon Swain, vice-president for research and higher education policy at 바카라사이트 British Academy, said 바카라사이트 new selection method would ¡°reduce 바카라사이트 burden on assessors, and crucially also be less time-consuming for applicants and 바카라사이트ir supporting research officers who need not check and edit again and again¡±.

This will create space for reviewers to provide feedback for unsuccessful applicants for 바카라사이트 first time, Professor Swain, a classicist who is also vice-president for engagement at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, told 온라인 바카라.

¡°One of 바카라사이트 things that applicants hate is when 바카라사이트y get no information about not getting funded, so it¡¯s good if we can help applicants decide if it is worth reapplying to us or not,¡± he said.

The new system would also be ¡°less open to unconscious bias and will be more transparent and fairer to under-represented groups and institutions¡±, said Professor Swain.

¡°This trial will be a fairer and more transparent way of allocating limited funds to a consistently strong field of applications,¡± he said.

The British Academy will review 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 pilot after three years, but Professor Swain said it was unlikely that it would consider applying a similar method to larger grant schemes ¨C in particular its fellowship schemes, which, for postdoctoral researchers, cover 80 per cent of salary for three years.

Given 바카라사이트 greater complexity in assessing candidates and 바카라사이트ir fellowship proposals, ¡°it would be different to use a computer to look at those schemes¡±, said Professor Swain.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com