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Current Incentives for Scientists Lead to Underpowered Studies with Erroneous Conclusions

Current Incentives for Scientists Lead to Underpowered Studies with Erroneous Conclusions

Researchers acting to maximise their fitness should spend most of their effort seeking novel results and conduct small studies that have only 10%–40% statistical power. As a result, half of the studies they publish will report erroneous conclusions. Current incentive structures are in conflict with maximising the scientific value of research; we suggest ways that the scientific ecosystem could be improved.

Maximizing the Local Economic Impact of Federal R&D

Maximizing the Local Economic Impact of Federal R&D

Federally funded research and development (R&D) is a hallmark of the U.S. economy but, it's under siege. To maximize and make apparent the economic returns from R&D, the next administration should seek to improve the local economic impact of federal R&D.

The Influence of Peer Reviewer Expertise on the Evaluation of Research Funding Applications

The Influence of Peer Reviewer Expertise on the Evaluation of Research Funding Applications

On the importance of identifying variables explaining the underlying differences in individual reviewer decision-making.

Freeing a Scientific Mind to Envision Big Research: Packard Fellowship to Will Ratcliff

Freeing a Scientific Mind to Envision Big Research: Packard Fellowship to Will Ratcliff

Funding can focus science on the long game; just ask Will Ratcliff, freshly named a Packard Fellow.

A lifeline for Greek science—or living on borrowed time?

A lifeline for Greek science—or living on borrowed time?

The Greek government is trying to stop the nationwide brain drain stemming from global financial crisis. This week, the parliament was expected to take up legislation to create the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI), modeled after the German Research Foundation and the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Matthias Egger is the new president of the SNSF

Matthias Egger is the new president of the SNSF

Matthias Egger, internationally renowned epidemiologist and public health expert, will be the new president of the National Research Council of the SNSF as of 2017.

An efficient system to fund science

An efficient system to fund science

This paper presents a novel model of science funding that exploits the wisdom of the scientific crowd. Each researcher receives an equal, unconditional part of all available science funding on a yearly basis, but is required to individually donate to other scientists a given fraction of all they receive. Science funding thus moves from one scientist to the next in such a way that scientists who receive many donations must also redistribute the most. As the funding circulates through the scientific community it is mathematically expected to converge on a funding distribution favored by the entire scientific community. This is achieved without any proposal submissions or reviews.

Congress faces a lengthy science to-do list

Congress faces a lengthy science to-do list

Congress returns in early September from a 7-week summer break with a lengthy list of unfinished business, some of great interest to the U.S. research community—and just a few weeks to tackle it.