Economist recommends portfolio approach to research funding

European Commission official advocates shift to achieving overarching objectives and reducing risk

Funders should adopt a portfolio-based approach to choosing which research proposals to support, an economist working at the European Commission has recommended.

In a paper published by the Commission on 21 November, titled Being right or being fair, Erik Canton, a deputy chief economist and deputy head of unit in the Commission research and innovation department, suggests that it would be beneficial to “take account of interdependencies between research proposals” when making funding choices, rather than simply funding the highest-ranking proposals.