The costs of competition in distributing scarce research funds
Gerald Schweiger, Adrian Barnett, Peter van den Besselaar, Lutz Bornmann, Andreas De Block, John P. A. Ioannidis, Ulf Sandström, Stijn Conix · 2024
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Description
Gerald Schweiger and co-authors examined the hidden costs of competition for research money in a 2024 paper. Most science funding is scarce and awarded through contests between proposals. The authors ask what that system itself costs, beyond the grants it hands out.
They review how reliable funding decisions are, what applicants and reviewers spend in time and effort, and how rivalry shapes the science chosen. Competition can push researchers away from risky ideas and add stress and ethical strain. The authors also name gaps in what is known. They urge funders to test their own decision processes with experiments and to collect data on costs, so the system can be improved on evidence.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Gerald Schweiger, Adrian Barnett, Peter van den Besselaar, Lutz Bornmann, Andreas De Block, John P. A. Ioannidis, Ulf Sandström, Stijn Conix |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2024 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 49 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |