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Early grant success attracts more funding: study of 100,000 applicants hints at why

Largest study of its kind explores the ‘Matthew effect’ in research.
By
  1. Holly Else

Perseverance is key when it comes to securing science funding, finds an analysis of more than 100,000 grant applicants that looks at how early success affects future prospects.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01952-w

References

  1. Traag, V. et al. Preprint at Figshare https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29302004.v1 (2025).

  2. Bol, T., de Vaan, M. & van de Rijt, A. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, 4887–4890 (2018).

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  3. Wang, Y., Jones, B. F. & Wang, D. Nature Commun. 10, 4331 (2019).

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