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Exploring virtual funding committee practices in the allocation of National Institute for Health and Care Research funding: a netnographic study

Exploring virtual funding committee practices in the allocation of National Institute for Health and Care Research funding: a netnographic study
Exploring virtual funding committee practices in the allocation of National Institute for Health and Care Research funding: a netnographic study
Objectives: funding committees, comprising members with a range of knowledge, skills, and experience, are considered integral to the decision-making process of funding organisations for recommending or allocating research funding. However, there is limited research investigating the decision-making processes, the role of members and their social interactions during funding committee meetings conducted both virtually and face-to-face.

Methods: using a mixed-methods design and following netnography principles, the study observed nine National Institute for Health and Care Research programmes funding committee meetings conducted virtually during October 2020 to December 2021; complemented by interviews with committee chairs and members (18 interviews) and NIHR staff (12 interviews); an online survey (50 responses); and documentary analysis. Personal reflections through immersive journals also formed part of the analysis.

Results: three main themes were identified from the observations, interviews, and online survey: efficiency of virtual committee meetings (importance of preparation, and the role of formality, process, and structure); understanding the effect of virtual committee meetings on well-being (effects of fatigue and apprehension, and the importance of work life balance); and, understanding social interactions and engagement (levels of engagement, contribution and inclusivity, awareness of unconscious bias and the value of social networking).

Conclusions: examining the decision-making practices of one funding organisation across several research programmes, across multiple committee meetings over one year has generated new insights around funding committee practices that previous studies have not been able to explore or investigate. Overall, it was observed that fair and transparent funding recommendations and outcomes can be achieved through virtual funding committees. However, whilst virtual funding committees have many benefits and opportunities, such as the potential to increase membership diversity and inclusivity, and be more environmentally sustainable, more evidence is needed to evaluate their effectiveness, with particular focus on issues of fatigue, engagement, and committee cohesion, especially when new committee members join.
medRxiv
Blatch-Jones, Amanda Jane
6bb7aa9c-776b-4bdd-be4e-cf67abd05652
Boxall, Cherish
62deb102-02d5-4613-bd6c-7f2606367b0a
Asante, Emmanuel
c9863415-ffdd-46d6-ae1b-73d4c5d74b75
Meadmore, Katie
4b63707b-4c44-486c-958e-e84645e7ed33
Blatch-Jones, Amanda Jane
6bb7aa9c-776b-4bdd-be4e-cf67abd05652
Boxall, Cherish
62deb102-02d5-4613-bd6c-7f2606367b0a
Asante, Emmanuel
c9863415-ffdd-46d6-ae1b-73d4c5d74b75
Meadmore, Katie
4b63707b-4c44-486c-958e-e84645e7ed33

[Unknown type: UNSPECIFIED]

Record type: UNSPECIFIED

Abstract

Objectives: funding committees, comprising members with a range of knowledge, skills, and experience, are considered integral to the decision-making process of funding organisations for recommending or allocating research funding. However, there is limited research investigating the decision-making processes, the role of members and their social interactions during funding committee meetings conducted both virtually and face-to-face.

Methods: using a mixed-methods design and following netnography principles, the study observed nine National Institute for Health and Care Research programmes funding committee meetings conducted virtually during October 2020 to December 2021; complemented by interviews with committee chairs and members (18 interviews) and NIHR staff (12 interviews); an online survey (50 responses); and documentary analysis. Personal reflections through immersive journals also formed part of the analysis.

Results: three main themes were identified from the observations, interviews, and online survey: efficiency of virtual committee meetings (importance of preparation, and the role of formality, process, and structure); understanding the effect of virtual committee meetings on well-being (effects of fatigue and apprehension, and the importance of work life balance); and, understanding social interactions and engagement (levels of engagement, contribution and inclusivity, awareness of unconscious bias and the value of social networking).

Conclusions: examining the decision-making practices of one funding organisation across several research programmes, across multiple committee meetings over one year has generated new insights around funding committee practices that previous studies have not been able to explore or investigate. Overall, it was observed that fair and transparent funding recommendations and outcomes can be achieved through virtual funding committees. However, whilst virtual funding committees have many benefits and opportunities, such as the potential to increase membership diversity and inclusivity, and be more environmentally sustainable, more evidence is needed to evaluate their effectiveness, with particular focus on issues of fatigue, engagement, and committee cohesion, especially when new committee members join.

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2023.11.17.23298707v1.full - Author's Original
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Published date: 18 November 2023

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 490465
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/490465
PURE UUID: eb1f8b12-91c8-4b2d-a2cb-aaeb89175fdc
ORCID for Amanda Jane Blatch-Jones: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1486-5561
ORCID for Cherish Boxall: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7850-233X
ORCID for Katie Meadmore: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5378-8370

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Date deposited: 28 May 2024 16:59
Last modified: 29 May 2024 01:57

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Contributors

Author: Cherish Boxall ORCID iD
Author: Emmanuel Asante
Author: Katie Meadmore ORCID iD

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