Something’s got to give

Funding processes could be made more efficient, but there’s no perfect fix, says António Osório

One of the biggest issues in research is the amount of time spent applying for funding, in most cases unsuccessfully. Success rates of one-fifth to one-third are common for funders worldwide; in many calls, dozens of research groups apply, but only a couple are funded.

In the past decade, the number and diversity of funding calls has increased, as has the amount of time and resources spent by researchers on funding-related activities. Most research groups and academic institutions now have teams specialised in competitive funding calls.