The Matthew effect in science funding.

Area of Science:

• Science funding allocation
• Research policy
• Sociology of science

Background:

• The
• Matthew effect
• posits that successful scientists gain increasing recognition and resources, leading to further success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent to which the Matthew effect influences the distribution of research funds.
• To analyze the impact of early funding success on subsequent grant acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of review scores and funding decisions for grant proposals from recent PhDs in a large-scale granting program.
• Quantitative comparison of research funding received by successful and unsuccessful applicants over an eight-year period.

Main Results:

• Early funding success led to winners receiving more than double the research funding of non-winners in the subsequent eight years.
• No evidence was found that subsequent success was due to achievements enabled by the initial grant, suggesting early funding acts as an asset.
• Applicants who failed to secure initial funding applied less frequently for subsequent grants, contributing to the funding gap.

Conclusions:

• The Matthew effect significantly impacts research funding allocation, creating a widening disparity between early winners and non-winners.
• Early grant funding acts as a crucial asset for future funding acquisition, independent of demonstrated scientific output.
• Applicant behavior, including reduced application frequency after initial failure, exacerbates the funding gap.