skip to content
Dovepress - Open Access to Scientific and Medical Research
View our mobile site

8852

The Delphi process: a solution for reviewing novel grant applications

Short Report

(1426) Views  (371) Full article downloads

Authors: Cath Holliday, Monica Robotin

Published Date August 2010 Volume 2010:3 Pages 225 - 230
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S11117

Cath Holliday1, Monica Robotin1,2

1Cancer Council New South Wales, Sydney; 2University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Introduction: Traditional scientific review processes are not well suited for evaluating the merits of research in situations where the available scientific evidence is limited and if review panels have widely divergent opinions. This study tested whether a Delphi process is useful in grant selection.

Materials and method: A Delphi process prioritized novel research proposals in pancreatic cancer. Five reviewers holding similar grants overseas ranked research applications by scientific merit, innovativeness, and level of risk.

Result: Three rounds of voting evaluated the best 10 applications received. In the first round of the Delphi process, scores ranged from 5.0 to 8.3. After the second round, the cumulative scores of the eight remaining applications ranged from 10 to 12.6. At the end of the third round, the final cumulative scores of the remaining six applications ranged from 13.6 to 18.2. The four highest ranking applications were recommended for funding, with agreement from reviewers.

Conclusion: A modified Delphi process proved to be an efficient, transparent, and equitable method of reviewing novel grant applications in a specialized field of research, where no local expertise was available. This process may also be useful for other peer review processes, particularly where there is limited access to local experts.

Keywords: delphi process, research grant selection, consensus







Readers of this article also read:

Role of aliskiren in cardio-renal protection and use in hypertensives with multiple risk factors
Mental and somatic symptoms related to suicidal ideation in patients visiting a psychosomatic clinic in Japan
Overlap of primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis – a rare coincidence or a new syndrome
Amino acid management of Parkinson’s disease: a case study
Perception of risk and benefit in patient-centered communication and care
The relationship between deliberate self-harm behavior, body dissatisfaction, and suicide in adolescents: current concepts
Zinc oxide nanoparticles as selective killers of proliferating cells
Cumulative clinical experience from over a decade of use of levofloxacin in community-acquired pneumonia: critical appraisal and role in therapy
A patient with mexiletine-related psychosis
Treatment of gastric phytobezoars with Coca-Cola® given via oral route: a case report
  • Testimonials

    "... I was impressed at the rapidity of publication from submission to final acceptance." Dr Edwin Thrower, PhD, Yale University