NSF grant system near breaking point says applicants
AUG 17, 2007
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.021388
Science : A NSF-funded survey to explore the impact of NSF rejecting an increasing number of grant applications over the last four years has found that 56% of scientists thought the NSF review process was fair. However, the same survey found that program managers, reviewers are working harder to process an increasing number of applications, and that one in six scientists decline an invitation to review proposals, either by mail or in person at NSF’s Arlington, Virginia, headquarters. Nearly two-thirds of those who say no cite a lack of time."My fear is getting into an irreversible downward spiral, with funding rates so low that people stop submitting and we can’t find enough reviewers,” says NSF director Arden Bement. “Right now we’re on the precipice.”
© 2007 American Institute of Physics
