ABSTRACT
In our contribution to this volume, we argue that Dutch science-funding practices should be recalibrated because the status quo fails to meet its own stated objectives and is causing non-trivial harm along the way. We challenge, in particular, the existing bias toward identifying and awarding scholarly niches and national champions with large grants to ever tinier shares of the submitted proposals. We argue that this is wasteful spending and, when scrutinized, based on unrealistic assumptions about the nature of scientific research and the composition of the scientific community. The bias also skews the incentives for young researchers: by creating a culture of winners and losers, it demoralises promising young scholars and ends up mistakenly treating research and research impact as fundamentally opposed to teaching (rather than complementary activities). The result is that the existing system of funding may have the perverse, if unintended, effect of discouraging originality and innovation. The risk is that it undermines the ‘culture of curiosity’ that is essential to academic research.
