Fundermentals Top 5 2020

2020: Another year 'we'd all rather forget'
Photo by ANIRUDH on Unsplash

Last year I started my annual round up of the most popular posts on Fundermentals with the words 'it's been quite a year. One, I think, that we'd all rather forget.'

After 2020, the previous year feels positively halcyon. The pandemic has changed everything, and we've all had to adjust to a new way of working, living and relaxing. As we start 2021 even the idea of going to an office or a cafe feels positively exotic. 

Given the changes we've had to adapt to, I've had less opportunity to post frequently, so this year's round up is more svelte, limiting itself to the top five. Still, it's not about the quantity but the quality, and 2020 saw some of the finest, well-crafted and frankly world-changing articles. So sit back, try not to think about the world outside, and enjoy looking back at another year 'we'd all rather forget.' 

5: How Does the Coronavirus Affect Funding Applications? In the spring all the research funders reacted differently to the pandemic and lockdown, with some extending deadlines, others postponing schemes or prioritising Covid-related research, and a few going on as before. Here I round up what the state of play was. 

4: Six Tips on Working from Home, and One of them Is Actually Quite Good. At the beginning of the first lockdown, journalists and others rushed to offer their advice on how best to work from home whilst still remaining productive. I did a round up of these, dismissing most, but latching-on, like a drowning man, to the one of the suggestions that floated to the surface. 

3: Horizon Scan: Research Funding in 2020. This is a regular, beginning of year look at what's ahead (look out for my latest best guess, due out shortly). As ever, I get it hopelessly wrong, although in my defence who could have foreseen the pandemic and the havoc it would wreak?

2: Beyond the Horizon. Published in January, this article looked at what the UK's departure from the European Union would mean for research, and in particular their access to EU funding. With the trade deal forged in the 11th hour, we now know that the UK will have association with Horizon Europe, which is a huge relief all round. But take a moment to look back at what might be, and the possibilities offered by the Smith-Reid Review. Who knows? All or part of this may still come to pass. Be prepared. 

1: The Funnel of Love. A clear winner with almost 10x as many views as the others on the list, this article caught the zeitgeist. Although larger universities win the lion's share of research funding, their success rates are no higher than those of smaller universities. So what makes the difference? I look at some of the factors that limit academics and researchers, particularly in non-Russell Group universities, from applying for grants.