Fall in grant application success rates at five research councils

I think the funding councils, and the ESRC need to look at themselves, and not blame the applicants. My area, business and management comprised 20% of the social science community in 2005. Probably more now. Yet in 2011/12 only three of 68 responsive bids were funded In 2012/13, the number of bids dropped, not surprisingly, to 17, of which two were funded. The ESRC must believe that business and management should not be a focus of social science research as a social phenomenon with material social and economic consequences (as some have noticed). That business and management scholars get research grants from other sources - indeed, probably more from the AHRC and ESPRC - from the EU and others suggest we are not incompetent, but the ESRC does not want business and management researched. It should have the honesty to say so.

Correction. In 2011/12 it was only one responsive bid. So over the two years, only three responsive bids from a social science community which represents more than 20% of the whole were funded. Education is equally badly treated. Still its only kids, eh ?