Red tape report recommends simple, quick two-stage grant application process

The final report on how to cut red tape in research has come up with a list of recommendations spanning government, funders and universities. The most innovative involve changes to how grant proposals are assessed – the most cited cause of unnecessary bureaucracy.

With overall success rates for research grant applications at around 20%, the review suggests funders should experiment with new approaches, as flagged in the interim report earlier this year. These include two-stage application processes where the information required increases in line with the likelihood of being funded. Peer reviewers could initially ‘triage’ brief summaries of applications to limit the number of applications requiring full grant proposals. Another idea is to randomly allocate funding where proposals enter a lottery if they’ve reached a certain level. It also recommends that funders manage grants more responsively with flexible project start dates and standard arrangements for contracts.