SAD effects on grantsmanship

TL;DR

This paper discusses how Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may influence grant evaluators in high-latitude countries to favor safer, less innovative proposals during winter months, potentially impacting research funding decisions.

Contribution

It highlights the overlooked impact of SAD on grant decision-making processes and suggests timing considerations for high-risk research evaluations.

Findings

SAD increases risk aversion among evaluators.

Winter evaluations may bias against high-risk proposals.

Timing of grant reviews could affect innovation funding.

Abstract

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a state of depression induced by a lack of sufficient sunlight that occurs at high latitudes during the fall and winter. One effect of SAD is that causes people to be more risk-adverse, an effect that should be considered by granting agencies of high latitude countries. Funding agencies often have programmes aimed at high-risk, innovative research. However, the time of the year during which these purposefully high-risk proposals are evaluated usually does not take into consideration the effects of SAD. In high-latitude countries (e.g., Canada, UK, Nordic and Baltic countries), evaluating proposals for high-risk programmes during the late fall might significantly detract from the very purpose of such programmes. At this time of the year, grant evaluators might be in a darkness-induced state of mild depression. As such, evaluators might be more likely to opt for safe investments, more of the same, the well established, which is the antithesis of innovative research.