Research Funding Difficulties

Over 9000 people have signed an online petition in response to the EU’s increasingly complex research funding and regulatory procedures and are becoming more and more fed up. The problem lies in the fact that commission doesn’t even have the power to change aspects of the application process as well as this they are providing funding to other areas apart from scientific research. It is suggested that, for this reason, researchers need to get out there and get their name and capabilities known. Networking is essential. They need to connect with the lead people in Europe by attending meetings etc. The successful groups are the ones who get funding so they are the ones that researchers need to be networking with.

Although the commission is trying to change the process, Irish and other researchers are going to have to be patient and deal with the current process for applying to the €50 Billion Framework Programme 7 (FP7). There are 35 contact points around Ireland to help researchers enter and find their way through the application process. There are currently 500 projects in Ireland accounted for thanks to FP7, at a cost of €157 million. So, some state, the problem clearly doesn’t lie in the Irish not being able to get through the application process because they don’t know how, as this level of investment and number of projects is above the EU average.

Even though there have already been simplifications, there are still a number of challenges to be faced, according to Dr. Imelda Lambkin: “One is the time to the project start being considerably long. That delay is something a lot of researchers would have a lot of issues with. Also the wide range of funding instruments remains an issue, and there are different terminologies, funding cut-offs, approaches and procedures”. She also says that it is important for researchers to speak out so the commission knows what is working and what is not, in order to make the researcher’s life a bit easier.

www.trust-researchers.eu is the website which was set up in order to help researchers apply for funding but also to provide a place for researchers to voice their frustrations. Comments include:

“I hope Europe will evolve to a model that has been upheld in Ireland. Science Foundation Ireland provides grant support with minimal red tape for researchers (Ireland). More research and less bureaucracy will mean more results and impact (Ireland)”

“The administrative burden has been growing, with no obvious or explained need for this growth. As the burden has grown I have been compelled to reduce the time and energy I spend on . . . research and teaching, in order to prepare applications and reports in multiple copies at ever shorter intervals . . . I find the burden of ever-growing evaluation and controlling activities a brake on my work, a discouragement and an insult. I suspect that many who could do excellent research have already given up (Austria)”

As one can see from these comment there is a large amount of frustration growing among researchers who feel that this process is taking away time and money that could actually be spent on the research itself.

Source -http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0409/1224267682496.html