Contest models highlight inherent inefficiencies of scientific funding competitions.

ABSTRACT: Scientific research funding is allocated largely through a system of soliciting and ranking competitive grant proposals. In these competitions, the proposals themselves are not the deliverables that the funder seeks, but instead are used by the funder to screen for the most promising research ideas. Consequently, some of the funding program's impact on science is squandered because applying researchers must spend time writing proposals instead of doing science. To what extent does the community's aggregate investment in proposal preparation negate the scientific impact of the funding program? Are there alternative mechanisms for awarding funds that advance science more efficiently? We use the economic theory of contests to analyze how efficiently grant proposal competitions advance science

SUBMITTER: Gross K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6314589 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature