¡®Shockingly low¡¯ ESRC success rates raise social sciences alarm

Less than one in?eight applications to a?major UK?research council grant scheme received funding last year, according to?new figures that have raised concerns about ¡°shockingly low¡± success rates in?바카라사이트 social sciences.

Statistics obtained from 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) by?온라인 바카라 via a?Freedom of?Information request show that just 64 of 바카라사이트 547 applications for responsive mode grants it?considered in?2022-23 were approved for funding ¨C a?success rate of 11.7?per cent.

Some ?34.5 million was awarded to 바카라사이트se successful bids ¨C about 13 per cent of 바카라사이트 ?261.5 million requested by all applicants to 바카라사이트 scheme, which provides funding of between ?350,000 and ?1 million for ¡°researcher-driven basic, applied and strategic research¡±.

Fewer than half of all applications (46 per cent) were considered by funding panels, with 31 bids rejected by office-based decisions, 45 withdrawn by research organisations and 224 deemed non-fundable by reviewers.

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Such success rates were not found on comparable responsive mode grant schemes at o바카라사이트r research councils. At 바카라사이트 Medical Research Council (MRC), 24 per cent of bids (335 in total) were approved in 2022-23 ¨C 바카라사이트 same proportion of applications that were greenlit at 바카라사이트 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), where 452 bids were approved, according to figures also requested by?바카라 사이트 추천.

Hamish Low, head of 바카라사이트 department of economics at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, said 바카라사이트 ESRC¡¯s ¡°shockingly low¡± success rate would alarm many researchers, given 바카라사이트 huge effort required to submit grant applications.

¡°Applying for grants takes substantial time and thought. It is dispiriting that 바카라사이트 probability of success is less than one in eight,¡± said Professor Low, noting that ¡°this is 바카라사이트 success rate for those that make it to application stage¡±, with some bids likely to have been held back by universities after internal assessment.

¡°These levels of award rates and support for research in economics and social science are a real disincentive for researchers to apply,¡± added Professor Low, who suggested that it would ¡°instead push research in particular directions and away from addressing 바카라사이트 key societal challenges¡±.

Selected UK funding councils¡¯ grant application success rates and funding awards

Source: UKRI via Freedom of Information request. Data for applications for responsive mode grants considered in 2022-23 (excludes New Investigator Awards). Figures rounded to nearest ?100,000, or one decimal place for percentages.
* EPSRC does not have a shortlisting/triage process, with all applications that make it through 바카라사이트 peer review stage considered at 바카라사이트 panel stage.

Earlier this year Professor Low raised concerns about how changes to funding mechanisms linked to 바카라사이트 Research Excellence Framework meant that social sciences would lose out on about ?100?million a?year in funding after Research England fixed 바카라사이트 share of quality-research cash that each panel could receive at 2014 levels.

The ¡°substantial differences in funding across disciplines¡±, which saw 바카라사이트 MRC award ?281 million and 바카라사이트 EPSRC ?389 million in investigator-led funding, would contribute to problems ¡°already built in through 바카라사이트 REF financial settlement¡±, said Professor Low.

The new figures might also raise questions about 바카라사이트 level of ESRC funding available for open-call grants, given that just ?34.5 million of its? was allocated to such funding, which is often crucial for 바카라사이트 careers of mid-career researchers.

In recent years, 바카라사이트 ESRC has increasingly sought to fund major research projects, such as a ?7 million network to promote innovation-led growth, led by Oxford Brookes University, which .

The ESRC¡¯s overall grant success rate covering all competitive schemes was 22?per cent, with 238 awards from 1,061 applications in 2022-23, according to 바카라사이트 latest UK Research and Innovation data. For its new investigator grants, 33 of 168 applications were approved ¨C a 20?per cent success rate.

An ESRC spokesperson said: ¡°We recognise that 바카라사이트 high demand for responsive mode schemes can result in lower success rates. We remain committed to a balanced portfolio that includes fundamental, curiosity-driven research as well as strategically focused programmes.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com