Project-based Basic Research Funding in an International Comparison. Implications for an Excellence Initiative in Austria

Based on a literature survey, key features of grant-based academic research funding are identified which could potentially affect the quality, quantity and direction of research results. This set of characteristics enables a systematic comparison of the funding activities of the largest science funding agencies in the USA (NIH and NSF), the UK (UKRI), Germany (DFG), the Netherlands (NWO), Switzerland (SNF) and Austria (FWF). Significant differences emerge, e.g., in terms of the share of total research funding, the funding portfolio, success rates, lot sizes, refunding of indirect project costs and review criteria. From this comparison, implications for the design of an Austrian excellence initiative are derived.