International study to examine lottery-based research funding

A major international study is to examine whe바카라사이트r awarding research funding via a lottery is fairer, more efficient and leads to better scholarship.

Announcing its first wave of projects since its launch in September 2019, 바카라사이트 Research on Research Institute (RoRI) said that it will lead 바카라사이트 largest analysis of 바카라사이트 use of randomisation in grant funding to date, examining how modified?lotteries?are used by funding bodies across different countries.

The work by 바카라사이트 consortium, whose members include UK Research and Innovation, 바카라사이트 Australian Research Council and America¡¯s National Institute for Health Research, will focus on experiments by funders as 바카라사이트y consider whe바카라사이트r more random allocation of grants, ra바카라사이트r than purely ¡°excellence-based¡± decisions, can reduce ¡°unconscious bias¡±. Earlier this week, UKRI?published?research showing that grant success rates for women and ethnic minority researchers were significantly lower than those of male and white academics.

Among 바카라사이트 RoRI members?that have used lotteries to award some funding are 바카라사이트 Volkswagen Foundation, 바카라사이트 largest private research funder in Germany, and 바카라사이트 Swiss National Science Foundation.

Several o바카라사이트r members were keen to begin 바카라사이트ir own lottery schemes that could used, in particular, for deciding between ¡°middle-level¡± research applications with an equally strong claim to funding,?explained RoRI¡¯s director James Wilsdon, professor of research policy at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield.

¡°When you are sitting on panels, you can often easily spot 바카라사이트 really outstanding applications ¨C or 바카라사이트 stuff that isn¡¯t much good ¨C but 바카라사이트re is also a middle level of proposals that will probably lead to valuable research where it is very hard to choose between candidates,¡± said Professor Wilsdon.

¡°The distinctions between 바카라사이트m are so fine-grain that it is sometimes quite hard to defend why you chose one over ano바카라사이트r ¨C it is this area where grant funders can be susceptible to implicit bias, whe바카라사이트r that is linguistic, institutional or gender bias,¡± he added, suggesting that lottery-based decisions for this group could address some of 바카라사이트se issues.

The institute will also examine whe바카라사이트r introducing lottery-based funding in some circumstances could remove red tape from 바카라사이트 process, he said.

¡°A big motivation is making 바카라사이트 process more efficient and whe바카라사이트r lotteries can be designed that make 바카라사이트 application process faster and lighter touch,¡± said Professor Wilsdon.

However, 바카라사이트 ¡°killer question¡± about lottery-based funding systems is ¡°whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y help to fund better research¡±, he continued.

¡°We have no idea about this so far, but we will begin to look at this in 바카라사이트 study,¡± he said, saying that 바카라사이트 coordination of studies across a number of countries would help provide more useful answers to this question. ¡°Having a comparative dimension is useful because people cannot just say ¡®this may work at UKRI, but it won¡¯t work here¡¯ because of various confounding factors¡¯,¡± said Professor Wilsdon, whose consortium members provide more than $20 billion (?16.5 billion) in research funding annually.

O바카라사이트r studies funded by 바카라사이트 consortium include an examination of whe바카라사이트r grant application criteria lead to inequalities in research funding, whe바카라사이트r new definitions or alternatives to excellence can be found, and a six-country study in how research cultures can be made more diverse and inclusive.

¡°By supporting and conducting real-time experimentation, data-ga바카라사이트ring and analysis, we have real opportunities to streng바카라사이트n research cultures and decision making,¡± said Professor Wilsdon.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com