Phys.org May 10, 2023 A performance-based research funding system (PRFS) is a nationwide incentive scheme that promotes and rewards university research performance through competition for government funding. The UK’s PRFS, currently the Research Excellence Framework (REF), is considered the oldest, largest, and most developed payment-by-results system in academia worldwide. Surprisingly, and despite the strong criticisms, little has been done to quantitatively and casually evaluate the intended and unintended effects of the PRFSs. An international team of researchers (UK, Spain, Italy) evaluated the incremental impact of the REF 2014 in the fields of Economics and Business. They used a synthetic control […]
Tag Archives: Research funding
Reward research for being useful — not just flashy
Nature October 4, 2022 According to the author who oversaw basic research programs across the US Department of Defense, and other organizations, too many countries have built a research pipeline that venerates prizes and papers above all else. People and their problems get left out as scientists chase novelty and the prestige it brings. Too often the more applied a proposal is, the less likely it is to be funded. Even research funds intended for applied work reward novelty over utility. Long-term support for science might depend on scientists helping to solve local problems, such as the regional flooding, fires […]