Australian scientists can help slash the centuries of research time they collectively waste every year just applying for National Health and Medical Research Institute (NHMRC) funding.
Associate Professor Adrian Barnett and his colleagues from QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation want to reform the application process for the NHMRC Project Grant funding scheme - but they need the help of researchers to do it.
"Australia's research community is clearly not happy with the current system but it'll take more than just whingeing to change it," Associate Professor Barnett said.
"We need the weight of hard evidence behind us to design and implement a simpler process that reduces some of the huge wastage of time and salaries that researchers currently face.
"That's why we want researchers to send us their current NHMRC Project Grant applications."
Associate Professor Barnett and his colleagues are expanding on their research published in this week's Nature.
The team of health statisticians, economists and scientists estimated Australian scientists spent around 550 years' worth of research time writing applications for project grants in 2012, many of which were more than 100 pages long.
Yet 400 years' worth of that valuable research time was wasted because only around 20 per cent of applications were successful.
Applicants spent an average of 34 days writing preparing their proposals, at a combined estimated salary cost of $66 million.
Associate Professor Barnett said the situation would be even worse for the current funding round, which closed earlier this week.
"The NHMRC expected 10 per cent more applications this year - up to 4,000 - while the prize pool has only increased by around 6 per cent," he said.
"If we can design a robust process that reduces preparation time by just 25 per cent, we'll save our research community more than 135 years' worth of time and money.
"That's the equivalent of 135 post-doctoral salaries for one year.
"Imagine the difference 135 extra minds could make to Australia's research outcomes in one year."
NHMRC Project Grant applicants who want to participate in the research can contact Associate Professor Barnett on 07 3138 6010 or a.barnett@qut.edu.au.
For more information visit www.qut.edu.au/research.
The IHBI team's research will be available on Nature's website.
A high-res image of Associate Professor Adrian Barnett is available for media purposes at flickr.
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Media contact:
Kate Haggman, QUT Media
07 3138 0358
kate.haggman@qut.edu.au
