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The NIH funding system is just broken. Not *just* because this happens, but because we're supposed to believe that it's a meritocracy. It is *not* a meritocracy, it's the "old boys club." The boys in the club are mostly mostly mostly white dudes of the old guard. https://twitter.com/UTDPainLab/status/1351511409180487681
PIs of color are mostly mostly mostly *not* in the club. Every time I see this I'm reminded of the unnamed PI who was not discussed on a renewal, but who was picked up for full funding after a phone call. How many of you can do that? I can't. And I'm a white dude.
Reality is we're told that *projects* are funded. The *ideas* win. But if you let a well-known PI write a sloppy grant and get funded every time, you're funding people, not ideas. What has been shown over and over again? PIs of color lose out when funding is person-centric
Plenty of people lose in this system. Great grants are never selected because 1 reviewer nitpicks something that *is not wrong* and no challenges it. Terrible grants soldier through because Very Important Person wrote it.
This is like many systems: a terrible system that just isn't enough worse than other alternatives to drop it. The "point limitation" on grant dollars tried to address some of this disparity and was shouted down by Very Important Persons. It still wouldn't have fixed the issues.
There is a lack of transparency. There's both known and internalized racism, sexism, and classism baked into the system. In the end it's a disaster.
Hard truths: good grants guarantee nothing. Bad grants can get lauded. And *money makes the winners*.
Hard truths: good grants guarantee nothing. Bad grants can get lauded. And *money makes the winners*.
This is *critically* important, because if money helps to make the successful scientists, the system *does not* select the best people. People with money can hire more people. Can take chances. Can try new things. If you're riding the tiger's neck on every bill you can't.
So maybe the next time you look at UberScientiest with 3 R01s worth a total of $2.4M in directs a year, don't hero worship them. They are but a mere mortal, no matter what any Very Important Person tells you about irreplaceable geniuses.
