Thoughts on stable science funding

As a research manager, securing stable funding for your group is a critical responsibility. Your team, whether students or professionals, relies on you as the scientific leader to provide a stable environment for creation, skill development, and professional growth. Breaching that trust can be a significant setback.

A recent article caught my attention on the topic of “what to do when funding runs dry.” Funding for science can be intermittent if your organization lacks a mechanism for continuous stream support. It often falls on the scientific leader or manager to constantly negotiate or sell the importance of their work. If they actively participate in research and the funding landscape is unpredictable, conflicting priorities – as many scientists dislike the “selling” aspect of the job – may lead to overlooking impending financial threats to the team.

The article presents several suggestions on how to deal with this reality, some of which I was unaware were possible. In this post, I will focus on those suggestions rather than the statistics on funding difficulties in certain countries. I will expand on ideas mentioned in the article, as well as bring my own suggestions based on my experience and learning from my professional network.

The SPTS 9 thoughts on how to deal with intermittent funding:

1. Communicate with Program Officers: If your funding sources are usually governmental grants, talk to your program officers in case of trouble. While they may be demanding on proposal acceptance, their goal is likely the success of science and education. They are there to help you. Challenges in getting funded are not personal.

2. Know your program officers: while on that point, note that knowing your program officers and vice versa can really help you in understanding their priorities, and them understand details your interests and provide you feedback. So, find opportunities to meet them, for example as mentioned in my post on sabbaticals in government.

3. Utilize Bridge Grants: Some institutions offer “bridge grants” – emergency mechanisms to help researchers connect different funding periods in case of trouble, particularly when pivoting to new research directions.

4. Engage with Your Employer: And on the same flavor as above, your employer (university or otherwise) is not your enemy either. Talk to them – they may have mechanisms in place to help you connect between grants or customer projects.

5. And vice-versa: Maybe the above is also a tip for employers to think about setting up such mechanisms in place! The “group rejuvenation sabbatical” mentioned in he article sounds like an innovative idea!

6. Diversify Funding Sources: Hedge your odds by applying to multiple sources of support (different funding agencies, industry relations, or philanthropy (see also my previous post on the latter)). However, be cautious not to let writing too many applications overwhelm you.

7. Plan Ahead: The article mentions the importance of “Planning Ahead”, and includes some interesting tips on no-cost extensions to spend unused funds. Proper planning helps predict trouble. Run adequate budget analyses for your lab, including your cash runway. Stay tuned for a tool I’m developing to assist with this!

8. Invest in Supply-Chain Autonomy: Experimentalists tend to struggle more with funding than theorists. Consider investing in your supply-chain autonomy by machining your own parts. While it won’t solve a funding gap, it will be more cost-effective, mitigate risks, boost team confidence, and perhaps lead to entrepreneurial opportunities. Tapping in the open-sourcing community and modern computer-aided design and manufacture can really provide students with meaningful skills for future work.

9. Collaborate and Share Resources: Team up with other researchers and share resources. Teams may have better odds of getting larger, longer-lasting funds as part of a program. If your curiosity aligns with a funding agency’s mission, mission-oriented programs can also represent good opportunities.

Funding science and research will always be challenging, but it is undeniably important work. If mechanisms for stable funding did not exist, research universities would not function as institutions. Engaging with the system is crucial for any maturing scientific leader.

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