Science policies: How should science funding be allocated? An evolutionary biologists’ perspective

Stephanie Meirmans; Roger K Butlin; Anne Charmantier; Jan Engelstädter; Astrid T Groot; Kayla C King; Hanna Kokko; Jane M Reid; Maurine Neiman

doi:10.1111/jeb.13497

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Science policies: How should science funding be allocated? An evolutionary biologists’ perspective

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Science policies: How should science funding be allocated? An evolutionary biologists’ perspective

Stephanie Meirmans, Roger K Butlin, Anne Charmantier, Jan Engelstädter, Astrid T Groot, Kayla C King, Hanna Kokko, Jane M Reid and Maurine Neiman

Journal of evolutionary biology, Vol.32(8), pp.754-768

08/2019

DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13497

PMCID: PMC6771946

PMID: 31215105

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Abstract

In an ideal world, funding agencies could identify the best scientists and projects and provide them with the resources to undertake these projects. Most scientists would agree that in practice, how funding for scientific research is allocated is far from ideal and likely compromises research quality. We, nine evolutionary biologists from different countries and career stages, provide a comparative summary of our impressions on funding strategies for evolutionary biology across eleven different funding agencies. We also assess whether and how funding effectiveness might be improved. We focused this assessment on 14 elements within four broad categories: (a) topical shaping of science, (b) distribution of funds, (c) application and review procedures, and (d) incentives for mobility and diversity. These comparisons revealed striking among‐country variation in those elements, including wide variation in funding rates, the effort and burden required for grant applications, and the extent of emphasis on societal relevance and individual mobility. We use these observations to provide constructive suggestions for the future and urge the need to further gather informed considerations from scientists on the effects of funding policies on science across countries and research fields.

Forum

funding

funding rate

grant proposal

science policy

scientific quality

Details

Title: Subtitle: Science policies: How should science funding be allocated? An evolutionary biologists’ perspective
Creators: Stephanie Meirmans - University of Amsterdam
Roger K Butlin - The University of Sheffield University of Gothenburg
Anne Charmantier - Université Paul‐Valery Montpellier Université de Montpellier
Jan Engelstädter - The University of Queensland
Astrid T Groot - University of Amsterdam
Kayla C King - University of Oxford
Hanna Kokko - University of Zurich
Jane M Reid - University of Aberdeen
Maurine Neiman - University of Iowa University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of evolutionary biology, Vol.32(8), pp.754-768
DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13497
PMID: 31215105
PMCID: PMC6771946
NLM abbreviation: J Evol Biol
ISSN: 1010-061X
eISSN: 1420-9101
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc
Grant note: European Research Council American Genetic Association The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development Australian Research Council European Society for Evolutionary Biology
Language: English
Date published: 08/2019
Academic Unit: Office Of The Provost; Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies; Biology
Record Identifier: 9984217527402771

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