UK scientists get funding ban reprieve

摘要

After a campaign by scientists, the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has softened and delayed its controversial policy to bar serially unsuccessful grant applicants from making funding bids for one year. rnThe ban - which may be unique among European and US funding bodies - was due to be imposed on 229 researchers starting on 1 June, in an effort to reduce pressure on an overloaded system that currently peer-reviews all grant applications. rnBut eight weeks after it published the policy (see Nature 458,391; 2009), the EPSRC now says that the restriction will not come in until 1 April 2010 - giving scientists rnmore time to change their grant-submission behaviour so that they do not fall under criteria defining repeated failure. And instead of being excluded outright, researchers will be allowed one application during the year.