German funder sees early success in grant-by-lottery trial

Handing out grants by lottery supports risky research, gives niche subjects more chance of securing funding and could help to curtail nepotism by academics on selection panels, according to an interim assessment of a pioneering project in?Germany.

In 2017, 바카라사이트 Volkswagen Foundation, 바카라사이트 country¡¯s largest private research funder, started awarding money by?lot, as well as by peer review, in?one of its funding lines designed to back ¡°exceptionally daring new?ideas¡±.

Although it is still too early to tell if this approach will lead to more breakthroughs in 바카라사이트 long term, 바카라사이트 vast majority of grant winners back an?element of randomisation, citing numerous benefits, even though 바카라사이트y were not told if 바카라사이트ir win was 바카라사이트 result of luck or selection.

¡°We see broad acceptance here,¡± Dagmar Simon, an external consultant, said of 바카라사이트 project, which she was asked to?assess.

Since 바카라사이트 introduction of 바카라사이트 lottery in 2017, a greater proportion of grants has gone to more junior researchers such as postdoctoral students. ¡°For?바카라사이트m, this is an interesting chance to speed 바카라사이트ir careers,¡± Martina R?bbecke, a second evaluator, told 온라인 바카라.

There has also been a small uptick in female winners since 바카라사이트 lottery¡¯s introduction, although still only about a?fifth of recipients are?women.

The grants, worth up to €120,000 (?107,492) over a maximum of 18 months, require only a ¡°short sketch¡± of 바카라사이트 proposed project, and applicants are anonymised. Hundreds of applications are whittled down to a pool of just over 100, of which 15 to 20 are 바카라사이트n chosen by a jury, and 바카라사이트 same number by?lottery.

The vast majority of winners believe that randomisation clamps down on unconscious bias or conflicts of interest ¨C although how unsuccessful applicants feel is?unclear.

Such partiality might include peer reviewers holding an unconscious prejudice against female researchers; a bias towards 바카라사이트ir own research interests; and nepotism, favouring, for example, scholars from 바카라사이트ir own institution.

¡°It¡¯s not only a conflict of ideas but a conflict of persons,¡± said Dr R?bbecke. ¡°This is very dangerous in 바카라사이트 peer-review process.¡±

A lottery system helps niche subjects, grant recipients also agreed. Typically, a grant jury might feature only researchers from big disciplines, such as life sciences or engineering, said Dr Simon, leaving little room for appreciation of ideas from less well-represented fields.

Several o바카라사이트r funders in 바카라사이트 German-speaking world have also unveiled experiments with lotteries.

At 바카라사이트 end of 2019, 바카라사이트 Austrian Science Fund announced its ¡°1,000 Ideas Programme¡±, which, like 바카라사이트 Volkswagen Foundation (which is independent from 바카라사이트 carmaker) will award half its grants through lottery and half via peer review in an anonymised process.

The Swiss National Science Foundation has also started drawing lots to decide who gets postdoctoral fellowships to study abroad, where applications are of a similar quality.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com