European funder must increase capacity to meet the ambition of scientists

The European Research Council (ERC) — an important funder that is investing €16 billion (US$18.7 billion) in research between 2021 and 2027 — announced changes to its eligibility rules for grant applicants on 16 April. In a letter to researchers , ERC president Maria Leptin explained that the restrictions were necessary to respond to the “sharp increase in applications”. Prestigious European science funder scraps stricter rules after researcher backlash On 29 April, the ERC partially reverted some of these changes . This is welcome, and the ERC deserves credit for listening to the concerns of the research community. But as a researcher from Portugal who held an ERC grant until last year, I am still deeply concerned by the approach Europe is taking. The ERC has admitted that it cannot comfortably handle the number of grant applications that it receives. And, in response, it intends to limit how many grants researchers can apply for, and how long unsuccessful candidates have to wait before they can re-apply. These restrictions narrow access to the very scheme that is meant to reward scientific ambition. Instead of expanding its capacity, the ERC is raising barriers that will keep people out. The ERC’s argument is that the peer-review process must be protected. Of course it must. No scientist wants exhausted panels of reviewers rubber-stamping complex proposals. …