Share your thoughts on remote study sections
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced federal agencies that fund scientific research to move their grant-application review panels online. The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation have used remote study sections in the past, and the ASBMB public affairs office heard mixed reviews about those endeavors. Now that the need for social distancing has resulted in widespread adoption of remote grant-application review, we feel it’s important to record reviewers’ experiences contemporaneously and then, at a later date, share those comments with funding agencies so that the remote-review process can be optimized.
We invite you to use this simple form to share your thoughts on your remote study section experience.
Here are some of the questions we have, but don’t feel bound to them. We welcome any and all comments about your experiences.
- Do you think the quality of review will change as a result of remote interactions? How so?
- Do you think remote participants are more or less likely to contribute to discussions? Why?
- What is lost by not having face-to-face interactions?
- What is gained?
We intend to share your comments with both the scientific community and federal agencies. We also hope to develop recommendations for improving remote grant review.
We hope you will take a few minutes to share your thoughts, and we strongly encourage you to share this platform with your colleagues of all disciplines.
Together, we can help the community in a time of need.
Join the ASBMB Today mailing list
Sign up to get updates on articles, interviews and events.
Latest in Policy
Policy highlights or most popular articles
From neuroscientist to science policy analyst
Careers columnist Martina G. Efeyini talked to NHLBI staffer Nicholas Jury about his career path.
What the election results mean for science
Biden has promised “disciplined, trustworthy leadership grounded in science”; runoffs will determine the balance of power in Congress.
ASBMB raises concerns about proposed visa changes
Trump administration seeks to limit duration of stay and impose other restrictions on foreign scientists and students
Survey: 1 in 5 NIH workers were sexually harassed in past year
Young, nonbinary and bisexual employees were most likely to experience harassment.
Pandemic snarls research administration
With data collection slowed and grant applications way up, the pandemic is disrupting the complex, slow-moving NIH funding system. Federal officials and university grant administrators are working to help researchers keep things moving.
Still unclear why university expelled 15 Chinese researchers
The University of North Texas has said only that the decision followed briefings by federal and local law enforcement.