Research grants incentivize waste
"Every hour a scientist spends trying to raise funds is an hour lost from important thought and research" - Issac Asimov
Funders' grant-making decisions are driven by two overarching goals:
- Sponsoring research that aligns with their individual organizational mission
- Awarding grants to scientists and projects that will provide a safe return on investment
Funding organizations invite scientists to apply for research grants and distribute financial awards based on the perceived quality of a grant application towards achieving the aforementioned goals.
Typically, funders dedicate upwards of 5% of their operating budgets towards administering this process. Determining if a project aligns with an organization’s mission is relatively straightforward.
Unfortunately, no objective metrics exist to judge the value of the scientific knowledge produced by any given research output.
Last modified 3mo ago