Questions tagged [funding]

This tag refers to questions related to source and utilization of academic funding from government or non-governmental sources.

This tag is synonymous to grants tag. Academic funding is usually non-repayable.

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Donating money to scientific research after my death

I'm lucky - I probably won't have to provide for any loved ones after I die (they can take care of themselves). That means I can use my assets on whatever I want, and most likely, that will be science. The exact amount I can spare depends on how…
Allure
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Why does research on the busy beaver function get funded?

I saw this video about the busy beaver function and looked at the applications section of the Wikipedia article about the busy beaver function. I concluded that there is zero practical or even theoretical value in searching these numbers S(n) : n >…
Hakaishin
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Final report rejected, institution asked to return funding and prosecute my supervisor

When I finished my PhD, I was working on a small grant project worth €6000 with the aim of integrating computational software and public services offered by another institution. In our final report, I stated why we did not achieve one of the…
TJK
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Why is obtaining research grants so important to universities?

I do not understand why universities are putting “pressure” on staff to obtain research grants. Well, in certain fields, research grants might be important for getting instruments or equipment, but in other fields, what we really need in order to…
Dinamite
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Why do academics have to get their own grants?

Usually in industry, we are either employed (in which case our company pays us), or founders (in which case we go look for funding). To the extent that we need to spend the company's money, or hire people, we deal with the company. If we are our own…
llllvvuu
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How to find grant proposal samples?

Compared to writing a research paper, I found writing a grant proposal to be much more intimidating, because there aren't any finished products that I can compare to. I am wondering if there are any good samples out there so that I can see what good…
CC cat
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Why do researchers in areas requiring minimal resources apply for grants?

I heard that many researchers spend a lot of their time (maybe even a half) writing the grants. I understand the researchers that need to purchase some equipment or fund their PhD students, although does not the department fund PhD students…
Dávid Natingga
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Are there examples of more efficient funding systems than grant applications?

Applying for research grants costs a lot of time and energy. Which would still be acceptable, if the success rates wouldn't be so depressingly low. Currently, it appears to be an incredible waste of time and energy of some of the most gifted people…
Danny Ruijters
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Is it usually allowed to use grant money for voluntary contributions?

Recently I watched a series of video talks that greatly helped me understand a topic I am researching. I wanted to help the author create more such videos by making a Patreon donation. This made me wonder whether such donation can be done using…
Erel Segal-Halevi
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How much time before (possible) effect of US sequester is felt on grant funding?

When a US institution that manages grant programs (such as NSF) suddenly sees its funding cut, as will be the case after the US sequester takes effect in March, how long does it take for that cut to trickle down onto grant programs and…
F'x
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Historical data for success rate of grant/project applications?

Is there any publicly accessible information regarding the success rate of grant/project applications for science/technology and other research grant programs (e.g. NSF grants) and its variation over time? I'm not interested in an exhaustive list…
Greg S
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Is it unwise to repeat portions of a successful grant proposal?

Three years ago, I applied for and received a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation in pure mathematics. Now I need to prepare a follow-up proposal for continued funding. There is, of course much that I have to say that is new.…
Anonymous
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In applying for fellowships, is it better for 'majority' students to select "Prefer not to respond" in racial identification?

I am a second-year graduate student in applied mathematics looking to apply for fellowships for this upcoming year. It also happens to be the case that I am a Caucasian male. Would it be more advantageous for me to select "Prefer not to respond" in…
Alex
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How to phrase an email in response to an unreasonable action by a superior?

When I was admitted to my graduate course, I was guaranteed funding for six years. Essentially, I have been doing research on a different school of thought, so I am not well liked by some of the senior professors (who have badmouthed me to…
randomperson
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Why aren't grant applications systematically published online, regardless of whether they are accepted?

Much work is put into constructing grant applications: sharing them would allow diffusing novel ideas faster, which I would expect it to be seen positively by researchers. Why aren't grant applications systematically published online, regardless of…
Franck Dernoncourt
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