The research community supports the introduction of lottery funding to Horizon Europe, provided that the European Commission ensures the “best” proposals retain the highest chance of receiving funds.
Kamila Kozirog, deputy director for research and innovation at the European University Association, commented on the idea: “Introducing an element of randomisation in the allocation of research funding is worth exploring, as it has shown positive results in reducing bias and easing selection bottlenecks in some national systems.”
However, Kozirog emphasized that this approach should be limited to tie-breaker lotteries. “These should be used only when equally excellent proposals receive the same evaluation at the funding threshold,” she added.
The European Commission plans to test lotteries specifically for breaking ties initially but is also considering other use cases that have been trialled by other funders.
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/r-d-funding/horizon-europe/research-community-welcomes-plan-lottery-awards-horizon-europe-if-done