Racial gap is seen in federal research grants
A black scientist was one-third less likely than a white counterpart to get a research project financed, the study found...
From The New York Times
A research grant application from a black scientist to the federal National Institutes of Health is markedly less likely to win approval than one from a white scientist, a new study reported on Thursday.
Even when the researchers made statistical adjustments to ensure they were comparing apples to apples — that is, scientists at similar institutions with similar academic track records — the disparity persisted. A black scientist was one-third less likely than a white counterpart to get a research project financed, the study found.
“It is striking and very disconcerting,” said Donna K. Ginther, a professor of economics at the University of Kansas who led the study. “It was very unexpected to find this big of a gap that couldn’t be explained.”
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