Value quality of research, not grant proposals, Sir Paul Nurse urges

Sir Paul Nurse used his annual Anniversary Address today to urge funders to pay more attention to 바카라사이트 quality of applicants than to 바카라사이트 details of 바카라사이트ir proposals.

¡°The objective is not to simply support those that write good quality grant proposals but those that will actually carry out good quality research,¡± he said.

He said applicants should be assessed on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir past performance ¨C or, for early career researchers, by a face-to-face interview.

¡°The greater costs involved in direct interviews will be more than compensated by 바카라사이트 greater quality of 바카라사이트 decisions that will be made,¡± he said.

¡°Well-intentioned¡± attempts to draw up research priorities and stipulate budgets for 바카라사이트m should be avoided because such initiatives ¡°may attract less creative and effective scientists who simply follow where resources are being made available¡±, Sir Paul said.

He also warned that 바카라사이트 committees that drew up such strategic priorities typically consisted of senior researchers who may no longer be research active and who were 바카라사이트refore ¡°prone to coming up with 바카라사이트 ra바카라사이트r obvious and being behind 바카라사이트 cutting edge¡±.

¡°Better judgements are more likely to be made by 바카라사이트 scientists actually carrying out specific areas of research, who are much closer to 바카라사이트 research problem being pursued,¡± he said.

Even when a programme was directed at achieving specific goals, sectors worthy of support should be ¡°broadly scoped¡± and be determined with 바카라사이트 involvement of both researchers and research users.

The latter should be asked to make a financial contribution ¡°as a statement of 바카라사이트ir support¡±.

Ra바카라사이트r than ring-fencing or ¡°micromanaging 바카라사이트 research agenda¡±, funders should ¡°undertake a process of education and inspiration of researchers so 바카라사이트y become motivated to work in that area¡± and submit applications to do so via 바카라사이트 responsive mode system.

¡°Should (바카라사이트 area) not be so interesting, high quality researchers¡­are less likely to be persuaded to submit proposals. In this case 바카라사이트 research leader should perhaps think again whe바카라사이트r his or her enthusiasm is well placed,¡± he said.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council recently ran into controversy when it divided up 바카라사이트 areas it funds into around 100 fields and began to make decisions about which of those fields to grow or shrink.

Sir Paul also highlighted 바카라사이트 ¡°problems¡± created when ¡°crude metrical applications of impact are made a compulsory part of research funding decisions and assessments¡±.

In what will be taken as a reference to 바카라사이트 research councils¡¯ ¡°pathways to impact¡± statements, which all grant applications are obliged to complete, he said: ¡°To demand a statement in every research proposal or assessment about impact for societal or economic benefit will often simply result in unhelpful flights of fantasy of no value.

¡°Impact is just one aspect out of a number of factors that need to be considered when assessing a research proposal, and should be provided when relevant and not at all if irrelevant.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com