GRant AllocatioN Disparities from a gender perspective (GRANteD)

This deliverable provides a summary of the findings of Work Package 7 of the GRANteD project. The results are based on seven online surveys carried out among researchers in six European countries. In Austria, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden, applicants to specific research funding programs were surveyed. In Germany, a representative survey was conducted among academics as potential applicants at universities (DZHW Scientist Survey). In addition, the data of doctoral graduates of the DZHW PhD panel were analyzed. The overall findings indicates that there are hardly any gender differences in application behavior of academics.

This text summarized the recommendations that can be distilled from the research done in the GRANteD project, and from the interactions with the Stakeholder Committee, the Scientific Advisory Board, and at other exchanges with researchers in the field and with stakeholders in different interactions.

The state of the research on grant application behaviour is that female academics submit fewer proposals than men. This study points out that it is methodologically challenging to draw this conclusion. We know a lot about applicants, but little about the pool of potential applicants as the underlying population. We use a random sample of academics as potential applicants to investigate the grant application activity of male and female researchers. The results show that when an appropriate benchmark is applied (in this case, controlling for academic status and research area), no significant gender differences in grant applications can be found.

Grant selection and decision-making generally take place in panels. Therefore, the main focus of the project is to measure the level of gender bias at the panel level, and to explain the differences in gender bias using characteristics of the panels and of the (organizational) context of the panels. A second source of gender bias addressed in the project is the application process. The project also investigates the factors influencing the decision to apply for research grants, and the possible gender differences emerging from that. Finally, the question is addressed whether possible bias in grant allocation translates into gender bias in the subsequent academic career.