With several years of flat federal support for science, is it still reasonable to require one or two independent research grants (R01s) before going up for tenure?  For some institutions, the answer is slowly changing from “yes” to “not quite.”  At certain universities, scientists with many papers under their belts whose work is very interdisciplinary or otherwise done in large groups are still able to earn tenure without the brass ring of a major independent research grant.

Read more at The Chronicle.

What do you think?  Is an R01 or equivalent still necessary to prove you’re worth keeping around, or is it time to rethink the requirement?

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