In an article in The Conversation, Kelly S. Mix, associate dean for research, innovation and partnerships, drew upon her expertise as a researcher, university administrator and grant reviewer to outline how federal funding for scientific research works.
Mix discussed the steps of the grant funding process, from grant applications to merit review to how funds are spent. She also explained how federal agencies check for bias and conflicts of interest, adhere to ethical standards and “ensure high standards of scholarship and financial integrity at every stage of a grant’s lifecycle.”
“The way agencies issue grants to researchers isn’t perfect,” she wrote. “But processes like issuing detailed RFPs [requests for proposals], conducting merit reviews and monitoring financial compliance go a long way toward protecting the integrity of the research funding process.”
