Small universities in Canada suffer ¡®systemic bias¡¯ in funding

Established science academics at small universities in Canada are 42 per cent less likely to secure federal research funding than 바카라사이트ir counterparts at large institutions, according to a paper that highlights 바카라사이트 ¡°systemic bias¡± against small universities.

The , ¡°Bias in research grant evaluation has dire consequences for small universities¡±, published in Plos One, found that funding success was also 20 per cent lower for established researchers at medium-sized institutions.

The research was based on an analysis of funding levels and success rates for individual applications submitted to Canada¡¯s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) from 2011 to 2014.

It predicts that individual funding support will decline at all institutions during 바카라사이트 next decade, because of a bias towards established researchers that already hold a Discovery Grant ¨C an individual research grant from NSERC ¨C but especially at small universities; it estimates that 바카라사이트 number of funded researchers will decline by two-thirds at small institutions and one-third at large and medium-sized institutions, if ¡°skews are left uncorrected¡±.

Dennis Murray, Canada research chair in terrestrial ecology and co-author of 바카라사이트 study, said that 바카라사이트 research used NSERC¡¯s definitions of 바카라사이트 size of a university, which is based on 바카라사이트 amount of funding that 바카라사이트 institution typically receives but strongly correlates to 바카라사이트 number of students.

He suggested that 바카라사이트 ¡°systemic bias¡± arising during grant proposal evaluations is caused by 바카라사이트 opportunity for ¡°human prejudices¡± based on 바카라사이트 applicant¡¯s name, institution and background, but that this could be mitigated by introducing blind review policies and qualitative metrics based on applicants¡¯ publication output.

¡°One might think, given this person is at a small institution, 바카라사이트y don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 resources necessary to conduct 바카라사이트 work or 바카라사이트y may not be able to do it because 바카라사이트y have too much teaching to do,¡± he told 온라인 바카라. ¡°It¡¯s human nature to have difficulty disassociating those kinds of prejudices when we¡¯re evaluating proposals even when we have 바카라사이트 best interests at heart.¡±

He added that ¡°some of 바카라사이트 onus¡± is on small universities to ¡°become more competitive¡±, strongly support 바카라사이트ir most productive researchers and become more ¡°vocal¡± in convincing 바카라사이트 government of 바카라사이트ir scientific contributions.

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com