In spite of its excellent evaluation procedure, the SNSF faces a number of challenges, just as any other funding agency. “We are constantly developing the procedure based on the insights gained from scientific evaluation research,” says director Angelika Kalt.
The SNSF is implementing DORA – the Declaration on Research Assessment – step by step. This international declaration aims to broaden the criteria used to assess scientific quality. The number of citations in certain journals should no longer be the key criterion.
The SNSF wants to support research projects that can be completed successfully. How can it also fund projects that involve certain risks, but have the potential to obtain exceptional results? One answer to this question is: with Sinergia, the SNSF funding scheme for research projects with breakthrough potential.
The SNSF would like to receive more applications from universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education. To improve this situation, the SNSF is bringing its funding schemes more closely into line with the particularities of their research and has intensified its communication with these universities (see A set of measures for UASs and UTEs).
It isn’t always easy to find a sufficient number of external reviewers. In 2017, the SNSF Administrative Offices had to contact 23,761 persons to obtain 8,802 reviews.
Women should not be at a disadvantage in the race for government funding. For this reason, the SNSF regularly analyses the success rates of women and men. It also strives to steadily increase the share of women in the Research Council and the evaluation commissions.
Researchers receive funding for a maximum of five years. What happens then? Does career funding have a longterm impact? The SNSF is tracking the careers of young researchers, in particular, so that it can adapt its evaluation procedure and funding schemes if necessary.
Last but not least: how does the SNSF ensure that its selection procedure is really as good as it can be (see All eyes on quality).
“We adapt our funding schemes as early as possible, so that we will be fit to support excellent research also in ten years’ time,” says Angelika Kalt.