The Science of Science

Twice a year I take one for the team: I review grant proposals for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada’s federal health research fund. It takes a week: five days to perform detailed assessments of research proposals followed by a gruelling two days during which I, and a group of other researchers, decide which studies we should recommend for funding. If we discuss 45 research proposals between us, only six or seven will receive funding. It is high-pressure, unpaid work that demands a good job, and it must be scheduled around all our regular duties. As many of the academic institutions we belong to value the grants we bring in and the papers we write rather than whether we sit on a review panel, it can feel like a thankless task.

Hundreds of senior researchers take this hit every year. They do it because they believe it is fair for your research proposal to be judged by...