Abstract

In early 2009, an announcement made by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) sent a shockwave through the academic community: from April 2009, and to be applied retrospectively, the EPSRC would no longer consider resubmissions of rejected proposals and, more controversially, exclude “repeatedly unsuccessful applicants from submitting proposals for a period of twelve months”. The policy will affect those who have three or more proposals rejected over a two-year period and a personal success rate of less than 25%.