Comments on: Former NIH Director Zerhouni Gives Recommendations for Choosing His Replacement http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4788 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:36:51 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: CurtFischer http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4788&cpage=1#comment-11396 CurtFischer Sat, 13 Dec 2008 21:25:06 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4788#comment-11396 Actually, I thought a bit more about this. Faculty have told me in the past that in their experience, getting asked to serve on an NIH study section (which review the grant applications) was often viewed as a burdensome commitment. At least in some cases faculty accept the request to serve on a study section only because they themselves have an NIH grant, and thus feel some measure of duty to the NIH. If this effect is in fact pervasive, it seems like an auto-reinforcing mechanism to favor grant applications from people who already have grants. It is a difficult problem to address because, according to what various PIs have told me, finding people willing to serve on study sections is difficult. Actually, I thought a bit more about this. Faculty have told me in the past that in their experience, getting asked to serve on an NIH study section (which review the grant applications) was often viewed as a burdensome commitment. At least in some cases faculty accept the request to serve on a study section only because they themselves have an NIH grant, and thus feel some measure of duty to the NIH. If this effect is in fact pervasive, it seems like an auto-reinforcing mechanism to favor grant applications from people who already have grants.

It is a difficult problem to address because, according to what various PIs have told me, finding people willing to serve on study sections is difficult.

]]> By: David Bruggeman http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4788&cpage=1#comment-11394 David Bruggeman Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:59:51 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4788#comment-11394 Good suggestion Curt. I would at least think inviting more young researchers to sit on those panels could help alleviate the problems. As narrow as research specializations can get, I can't help but wonder if blind reviewing is actually possible in some fields. Sure, you don't know the name on the proposal, but it sounds just like what you know Dr. X is doing over at University Y. Good suggestion Curt. I would at least think inviting more young researchers to sit on those panels could help alleviate the problems. As narrow as research specializations can get, I can’t help but wonder if blind reviewing is actually possible in some fields. Sure, you don’t know the name on the proposal, but it sounds just like what you know Dr. X is doing over at University Y.

]]> By: CurtFischer http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4788&cpage=1#comment-11389 CurtFischer Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:24:09 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=4788#comment-11389 The comments on funding for younger researchers were interesting: <i>"I feel like it's these established folks who have the political power and who basically penalize and discriminate against new entrants. I see it in the scoring behaviour of the peer-review panels. Every time we try to help the young investigators, the scoring panels penalize them by giving them worse and worse scores. I have the data to show that."</i> If the goal is to award a greater share of research dollars to younger researchers, isn't the obvious solution to just stop inviting the "established folks who have the political power" to serve on peer-review panels? The comments on funding for younger researchers were interesting:

“I feel like it’s these established folks who have the political power and who basically penalize and discriminate against new entrants. I see it in the scoring behaviour of the peer-review panels. Every time we try to help the young investigators, the scoring panels penalize them by giving them worse and worse scores. I have the data to show that.”

If the goal is to award a greater share of research dollars to younger researchers, isn’t the obvious solution to just stop inviting the “established folks who have the political power” to serve on peer-review panels?

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