Reforming UKRI Eligibility Rules

Right now, it’s almost impossible for new organisations to be eligible for funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI is one of the main bodies that award money to science research. You basically need to be part of a University or huge org to ask for a grant.

But we should allow for the option for science to be done outside of universities. The Independent Science Society believes that this yields high risk-reward discovery, has convincing historical precedent, and increases empirical skills amongst the public. That’s what this whole blog is trying to prove. But don’t take it from me - I’m just a guy messing around at home in my free time. There are already many cool FROs and BBNs doing cool work outside of academia!

And so people outside of academia should be able to at least ask for grant funding.

So that’s why, on behalf of The Independent Science Society, we are undersigning Science Works’ letter on Reforming UKRI Eligibility. The letter is here. It argues that the eligibility rules make it impossible for new orgs to ask for money, and the main ask is as quoted

First, UKRI should remove the de facto ban on supporting new organisations. It should achieve this by offering a forward-looking route through which new organisations can demonstrate research capability and financial viability. Significant financial support from funders that UKRI already trusts should provide such a route. To that end, UKRI should publish a list of trusted funders, including at a minimum those on the existing list of endorsed funders, and should update it regularly.

Second, UKRI should remove the artificial distinction between standard and non-standard eligibility. The requirements for standard eligibility are practically identical to those for the highest band of non-standard eligibility, yet organisations meeting these materially equivalent criteria are treated differently. This distinction blocks organisations with non-standard eligibility from accessing support, even when they have been deemed to have sufficient research capability and appropriate financial governance. If non-standard eligibility must be kept, UKRI’s Executive Committee should mandate all calls to be open by default to organisations with either type of eligibility.

I encourage you to click and check it out. Here is a screenshot of the beginning, and please read it in full.

And on behalf of the Independent Science Society I’ve undersigned it with the cool folks from Renaissance Philanthropy, Amodo Design, the Living Physics Lab, Cultivarium, the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences, and other really cool people!

Maybe one day home scientists like me would be able to ask for funding for UKRI to do cost effective and high risk experiments in our homes. One model would be some pool of cash where we ask trusted home scientists to de-risk weird phenomena that we can easily watch or verify.

A small step for science at home!