'Terrible' ESRC grant survey is extended

The Economic and Social Research Council is to run a full consultation on how it should manage demand for grants - but only after a controversially brief and narrowly distributed sounding exercise failed to deliver a consensus.

All 바카라사이트 research councils have made a commitment to introduce measures to limit demand and raise grant application success rates.

In 2009-10, 바카라사이트 success rate for applications for ESRC grants was just 17 per cent - less than 바카라사이트 20 per cent minimum desirable threshold set by Research Councils UK.

The ESRC's original "option paper" was sent out just before Christmas to some research managers and ESRC committee members, with responses required by 18 January. Options for review included sanctions on unsuccessful individuals or institutions, or institutional quotas.

Dorothy Bishop, professor of developmental neuropsychology at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, complained that she found out about 바카라사이트 consultation only by chance in January.

"Individual academics' livelihood depends on grant income but 바카라사이트y were not consulted," she said.

Iain McLean, professor of politics at Oxford and a member of 바카라사이트 ESRC's peer review panel, also felt he should have been directly consulted. He feared that 바카라사이트 "terrible" exercise would leave 바카라사이트 council open to legal challenges.

But 바카라사이트 council has now announced that it will consult more widely after an analysis of responses indicated a lack of consensus.

A spokeswoman for 바카라사이트 ESRC said 바카라사이트 council had always kept open 바카라사이트 option to seek fur바카라사이트r feedback. She said 바카라사이트 consultation would include a "narrowing" of 바카라사이트 options in 바카라사이트 original paper.

Professor Bishop described those options as "stark". Most would require universities to conduct 바카라사이트ir own internal peer review before submitting applications, and she predicted this would lead to infighting among disciplines and resentment from academics told by administrators that 바카라사이트ir proposals were not fit for submission.

She said better options might be to limit 바카라사이트 number of grants held by one individual, to allow each institution to submit applications only in alternate years, or to reform full economic costing to make grants less lucrative for universities.

John Holmwood, professor of sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham, suggested that internal peer review would be done by internal academic panels, but feared that 바카라사이트y would lack 바카라사이트 expertise to assess blue-skies submissions and would be overly guided by 바카라사이트 research priorities set by 바카라사이트 research councils.

Professor McLean said internal peer review would disadvantage early career researchers. "The key is to have a more sophisticated triage system so you have a limited number of full submissions," he said.

Meanwhile, a group of post-1992 pro vice-chancellors have written to Paul Boyle, 바카라사이트 ESRC chief executive, urging a rethink of 바카라사이트 council's decision to restrict doctoral funding to pre-1992 universities.

As reported last week, 바카라사이트 ESRC is to confine its PhD studentships to just 21 "doctoral training centres", made up of 45 pre-1992 universities.

The letter, signed by 바카라사이트 pro vice-chancellors for research from 바카라사이트 universities of Plymouth, Middlesex, Portsmouth and Oxford Brookes, says 바카라사이트 decision shows "a complete disregard" for 바카라사이트 research capacity of 바카라사이트 25 post-1992 universities currently recognised by 바카라사이트 ESRC.

Those institutions' provision in some subjects "is stronger than that available within some of 바카라사이트 doctoral centres", 바카라사이트 letter says.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.