October 10, 2008

Science Suffers When Getting a Grant Becomes the Goal

By STEVEN L. PECK

The perception that academic scientists must pursue money from government agencies like the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health is subverting the aims of science and making it harder for institutions and individual professors to do innovative and original research.

Of course winning a large federal grant attracts a lot of attention because the process is highly competitive. Successful professors are congratulated from all sides, and universities tout the

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