Enough with the pointless grant applications, just fund the actual science already!

Honestly, the amount of time brilliant scientists waste writing incredibly detailed grant proposals is just infuriating. Alan, my husband, who’s an engineer, says it’s like applying for planning permission to build a shed, except the shed is going to cure cancer or solve climate change. It’s bureaucratic nonsense that takes focus away from the actual research. We pour money into the application process itself, let alone the grants.

What we need is a simpler, more direct system. Maybe a panel of experts who can identify promising areas and just give blocks of funding directly to the leading institutions or researchers in those fields. Let them get on with it. Less paperwork, more breakthroughs. It seems obvious, doesn't it? Think of the time saved, the energy redirected.

And while we’re at it, can we stop chasing every single faddy new area just because it’s trending?