Journal
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 208, Issue 3, Pages 443-456Publisher
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s00359-022-01552-3
Keywords
German Research Foundation; Government research funding; National Science Foundation; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; Neuroethology
Categories
Funding
- NSF [1946910]
- Projekt DEAL
- Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems
- Direct For Biological Sciences [1946910] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Curiosity-driven research funding varies across countries. While the US shows a negative trend, Germany demonstrates a positive trend in funding biological research.
Curiosity-driven research is fundamental for neuroethology and depends crucially on governmental funding. Here, we highlight similarities and differences in funding of curiosity-driven research across countries by comparing two major funding agencies-the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States and the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). We interviewed representatives from each of the two agencies, focusing on general funding trends, levels of young investigator support, career-life balance, and international collaborations. While our analysis revealed a negative trend in NSF funding of biological research, including curiosity-driven research, German researchers in these areas have benefited from a robust positive trend in DFG funding. The main reason for the decrease in curiosity-driven research in the US is that the NSF has only partially been able to compensate for the funding gap resulting from the National Institutes of Health restricting their support to biomedical research using select model organisms. Notwithstanding some differences in funding programs, particularly those relevant for scientists in the postdoctoral phase, both the NSF and DFG clearly support curiosity-driven research.
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