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Thursday 6 January 2011

BARDA Gets Shot Down

Along with the Small Grants and Conference funding, the BA will axe their Research Development Awards (BARDAs). I guess I shouldn't be surprised. These were relatively expensive - being fully economically costed - and may in their short life time have been too heavy a burden for a small funder such as the BA.
There's been a holding statement on their website for some time stating that 'this scheme is now suspended until the outcome of the government's spending review has been decided,' but I have heard that it will not now be resuscitated. Instead the BA will introduce a 'Mid-career Fellowship'. Details should be available on its website in due course.
This is in line with the recently issued Joint Statement on Early & Mid Career Support. However, I still don't get it. There's a strange leap of logic for a small funder to withdraw the relatively small amounts that early career researchers need, and instead take over responsibility from a bigger funder for the more expensive mid career researchers.
I'm sure it's just me. I'm sure I'm missing something. I'm sure it will all become clear.

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