Marsden Fund: is it worth it?
The Marsden Fund is a competitive fund in which the "top" researchers are given money to do proposed research.
This year, $82,345k was awarded to 120 projects. That's a mean of ~$230k per project.
#StopCompetitiveFunding
The Marsden Fund is a competitive fund in which the "top" researchers are given money to do proposed research.
This year, $82,345k was awarded to 120 projects. That's a mean of ~$230k per project.
#StopCompetitiveFunding
When considering 100% institute overheads, that ~$230k over 3 years ends up as enough for 1.5 researchers at Massey's Step 1 lecturer salary ($74k).
Unfortunately those 120 projects had 394 named investigators, or around 3.3 investigators per project.
massey.ac.nz/massey/about-m…
Unfortunately those 120 projects had 394 named investigators, or around 3.3 investigators per project.
massey.ac.nz/massey/about-m…
Research costs? What research costs?
The Royal Society has this year provided information on Marsden applications:
royalsociety.org.nz/what-we-do/fun…
Did I mention that Marsden is a *competitive* fund? That pretty much means researchers need to do pre-research to have a chance...
The Royal Society has this year provided information on Marsden applications:
royalsociety.org.nz/what-we-do/fun…
Did I mention that Marsden is a *competitive* fund? That pretty much means researchers need to do pre-research to have a chance...
I'm going to deliberately make some low estimates about salaries, to be as reasonable as possible to the cost-effectiveness of the Marsden fund.
I asked last year about the amount of time spent on Marsden applications, and got an answer of ~100 hours.
I asked last year about the amount of time spent on Marsden applications, and got an answer of ~100 hours.
https://twitter.com/gringene_bio/status/1412583217333374978
This year, the Marsden Fund had 1152 Expressions of Interest... and 1032 of those weren't funded this year.
Assuming 3 researchers per unfunded application working 100 hours as a Step 1 Lecturer, that's $11,140k wasted.
Assuming 3 researchers per unfunded application working 100 hours as a Step 1 Lecturer, that's $11,140k wasted.
If, instead, I assume the pre-fund work for each application is done by three researchers at a rate of $300 per hour, that's $92,880k wasted... more than the award money allocated!
https://twitter.com/lcsnz/status/1326030795685785600
Regardless of how you look at it, consider that those researchers *still* need to get their research funded from another source in order to continue as a researcher.
An award success rate of 10.4% means researchers will need to spend ~10 times that amount in order to get funded.
An award success rate of 10.4% means researchers will need to spend ~10 times that amount in order to get funded.
Even at the Step 1 Lecturer salary, when accounting for multiple applications, once again the wasted pre-research comes out as higher than the award money allocated... by over $24,000k.
We really need to stop this.
Pre-research is a waste of money.
We really need to stop this.
Pre-research is a waste of money.
Suppose, instead, that every researcher who applied were provided with an equal proportion of the $82,345k award money.
That's ~$21k per researcher, for an input effort of 100 hours.
Instead, 394 of the "best" get $209k each for a similar effort.
#StopCompetitiveFunding
That's ~$21k per researcher, for an input effort of 100 hours.
Instead, 394 of the "best" get $209k each for a similar effort.
#StopCompetitiveFunding
Alternative calculation: the Marsden Fund is reviewed in two rounds; the first round should be less effort.
I'll guess at 20h work at L1 lecturer salary for 1032 applications, and 100h work at $200/h for 108 applications:
$2,450k round 1
$7,130k round 2
https://twitter.com/lcsnz/status/1456132671050944513
I'll guess at 20h work at L1 lecturer salary for 1032 applications, and 100h work at $200/h for 108 applications:
$2,450k round 1
$7,130k round 2
The alternative calculation comes in a little under what it is for 100h work for all researchers at L1 salary, but is similarly over the award money when success rate is accounted for.
[$9,580k wasted on pre-funded work for both rounds combined, about $2.8k per researcher]
[$9,580k wasted on pre-funded work for both rounds combined, about $2.8k per researcher]
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