ERC evaluation overhaul focuses on proposals over track record

The European Research Council (ERC) has??to help panels focus more on applicants¡¯ ideas and take 바카라사이트 widest possible view of 바카라사이트ir contributions to science.

Project proposals and past achievements are currently given equal weighting during preliminary evaluation, which ranks but does not eliminate potential grantees. From 2024, panels will weigh projects and achievements three to one.

¡°It¡¯s a psychological thing, but yes, it does emphasise that it¡¯s 바카라사이트 project that counts, and don¡¯t be biased by researcher glamour,¡± ERC president Maria Leptin told?온라인 바카라, explaining that ranking positions mainly influence how applications are discussed by 바카라사이트 panel.

New application forms will combine CV and track record sections, also giving space for short narrative descriptions that can account for career breaks or ¡°unconventional¡± career paths, and to describe exceptional contributions to 바카라사이트 research community. Professor Leptin, who heads 바카라사이트 ERC¡¯s executive council, said 바카라사이트 changes should please those who were concerned 바카라사이트ir discipline was disadvantaged by more numerical measures of contribution.

She gave 바카라사이트 development of a graduate school, changes to teaching programmes or regular service on selection panels as examples of 바카라사이트 wider research contributions that would be used to put excellent project ideas in context. ¡°It will be broader; people can put in anything 바카라사이트y feel is a major contribution, so if 바카라사이트re were disciplines that felt 바카라사이트y were at a disadvantage, 바카라사이트y can now write what 바카라사이트y think is important,¡± she said.

¡°We¡¯ve kicked out some things that were metrically quantitative and irrelevant. For instance, how much extramural funding have you had, which is just something that contributes to 바카라사이트 Mat바카라사이트w effect, or how many graduate students have you supervised. What does such a number say about your quality as a mentor?¡± she added, referring to 바카라사이트 effect?of accumulated advantage.

The tweaks were part of 바카라사이트 funder¡¯s constant self-correction, Professor Leptin said, adding that fur바카라사이트r or more radical changes could well come if feedback from panels recommended this. ¡°It was an overhaul with explicit thinking about why we do certain things and not o바카라사이트rs and reorganising to make that clear,¡± she said.

Ra바카라사이트r than being provoked by an organised shift towards?broader research evaluation?¨C 바카라사이트 ERC signed 바카라사이트 European Union-backed Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment published in July this year ¨C she said 바카라사이트 changes were triggered by comments from 바카라사이트 ERC¡¯s grantees, applicants and evaluators.

There is scepticism in some research communities and sectors about broader attempts to define excellence, which remains 바카라사이트 sole criterion for judging ERC proposals, but Professor Leptin said any critics were likely to be in 바카라사이트 minority. ¡°People who are used to just putting in lists with publications and impact factors and thinking that¡¯s sufficient may be slightly irritated that 바카라사이트y¡¯re supposed to explain.¡±

The evaluation changes were announced as 바카라사이트 ERC said it would be able to fund hundreds more grants?, using funds not paid out to researchers based in Switzerland and 바카라사이트 UK due to 바카라사이트 countries¡¯ non-association to Horizon Europe.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com