Individual excellence funding: effects on research autonomy and the creation of protected spaces

Abstract

This article contributes to the emerging body of literature which investigates the mechanisms through which funding conditions affect research. It is an interview-based case study of the Distinguished Professor Grant (DPG); an excellence funding instrument aimed at individuals. The study uses the concept of “protected space” to explore the epistemic and organizational dynamics enabled by the DPG. By virtue of their larger size and longer timeframe, excellence funding schemes are assumed to promote greater research autonomy and risk-taking, providing a “protected space”. Semi-structured interviews with DPG recipients revealed that the autonomy afforded by the funding instrument extends to three areas: epistemic, strategic, and temporal. However, this autonomy is modulated by the characteristics of the researchers and the environment in which they operate. The article concludes that, rather than involving a one-time accomplishment, enacting “a protected space” using a grant like the DPG requires constantly balancing investments and adjustments in different priority areas.