Performance-based funding systems are designed to encourage research and innovation. These systems have been implemented in many countries at aggregated level. University College Dublin in the... Show morePerformance-based funding systems are designed to encourage research and innovation. These systems have been implemented in many countries at aggregated level. University College Dublin in the Republic of Ireland has recently adopted the Norwegian model and implemented it at individual level as Output-Based Research Support Scheme (OBRSS). Using a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with academic staff and administrators, this study aims to understand the impact of this implementation on research practices, including, but not limited to, choice of publication channels and local and international collaboration, as well as the perception and evaluation of the funding scheme with regard to transparency and objectivity. This paper discusses preliminary findings on the topics of discretionary funding, motivation, and consultation processes. Show less
This project examines peer review decision-making processes, stakeholder concerns, and outcomes of Science Foundation Ireland Investigators Programme and Industry Fellowship Programme with the goal... Show moreThis project examines peer review decision-making processes, stakeholder concerns, and outcomes of Science Foundation Ireland Investigators Programme and Industry Fellowship Programme with the goal of improving the efficiency, transparency, and equity of scientific funding processes. The study also addresses related topics, such as transparency of process, implications for gender equity and early career researchers, the role of interdisciplinarity in peer review, the evaluation of economic and social impacts in grant proposals, and overall, what constitutes research excellence in Irish science. In this poster, we will present preliminary results of the first phase of the study: document analysis of decision letters in the past 5 years. A content analysis will be conducted in Summer 2018 to derive the reviewers’ criteria in successful and unsuccessful applications and mapped against demographic information of reviewers (anonymised), review scores, and other characteristics of the reviewers. Show less
