A general “universal income” for academia that includes research grants would put a damper on entrepreneurship in academia, would be a big barrier to entry for new providers and would create an even more unfair playing field for researchers outside higher education (“‘Basic income’ to fund research”, News, 12 October).
A better option would be to make the grant application process simpler. It is not the writing of proposals that is deemed a waste (basic business cases clarify the project to all parties, including those who propose the research), it is the other administrative matters – such as filling out forms, submitting in specific formats and so on – that are the real time-wasters.
gkbharathy
Via timeshighereducation.com
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