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From page 43... ...
explained, the fourth panel provided perspectives on experimentation from representatives of several federal agencies. Both the National Science Foundation (NSF)
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From page 44... ...
To pay for the program, established investigators in the program with more than $400,000 in direct costs from NIGMS received an average cut of 12 percent, which generated objections but allowed for greater funding of early-stage investigators. People who received MIRA grants could be compared with those who received R01 grants, and people who transitioned to MIRA grants could be compared before and after that point.
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From page 45... ...
has been on what he described as an "ARPA tour," referring to advanced research project activity or agency. He was a program manager at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)
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From page 46... ...
One way to build this understanding is to create feedback loops in programs, he stated, "but that means you have to be okay with being wrong." People do not like to be wrong, even though the point of science is to resolve uncertainty, which means being wrong some of the time. "You should be willing to be wrong because you care," Russell said, "and that's going to help, ultimately, all of us." Finally, Russell observed that it can be difficult to conduct experiments with ARPAs, because program managers and program management are constantly changing.
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From page 47... ...
For example, it has run prize challenges with specific goals that it is trying to achieve and, in response, has received proposals from outside the traditional NSF research community. It has piloted asynchronous review processes and opportunities for applicants to receive
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From page 48... ...
"Maybe not 15 years but some number of months or years as well," he said. "There are trade-offs that we should all be thinking about as we think about this type of experimentation and what is the goal that we want." PANEL DISCUSSION A workshop participant noted that a common theme among the three presenters was the emphasis on empowering program managers with experience and good judgment; the participant asked how to evaluate whether that discretion is being exercised judiciously.
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From page 49... ...
Despite the difficulties of replicating successes among organizations, Russell called attention to the power of social learning, including the learning that occurs through social networks at federal agencies like NIH or NSF. Gianchandani agreed, pointing out that NSF is a relatively small organization of just 2,000 people.
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From page 50... ...
"You will not get it if you are sitting in a single space talking to people who are just like you." In response to a question about how best to construct portfolios of research projects and how to analyze variations in portfolios, Gianchandani said that "the notion of portfolio development and balance is very explicit and ingrained in the ethos of how we think about our programmatic investments across NSF." For example, in some NSF directorates, program officers work in groups to review projects that have come through the merit review process and then develop portfolios that meet particular criteria, such as having a range of risks. They may even decide not to fund a set of proposals that fared well in the review process, although it is important to explain why those projects are not being funded.
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From page 51... ...
In response to a question about whether metrics can be identified that would recognize and quantify high-risk, high-reward research, Lorsch pointed out the timescale involved in realizing benefits from basic research: the period between a fundamental discovery and its application is often extended, which can make identifying such metrics difficult. In response to a question and reflecting on ongoing outside discussions about establishing a national network for critical technology assessment that would try to identify areas ripe for investment to sustain U.S.
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