Funder has not lived up to its aim to back “high risk” proposals, according to an analysis of early grants
Photo credits: Thijs ter Haar / Flickr
The European Research Council (ERC) has failed to support applicants with a track record of novel research, a new study argues, raising questions over whether the funder is living up to its original aim of backing pioneering, high-risk, high-gain ideas.
“Our analysis shows that applicants with a history of highly novel research are less likely to be selected for funding,” concludes the paper, published last month and co-authored by a former ERC scientific council member, Reinhilde Veugelers, a research policy expert at KU Leuven.
The analysis also says that ERC assessment panels are so overwhelmed with proposals that they are have taken short-cuts such as googling citation-based metrics of applicants’ success, measures which are now frowned upon by the…
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