Is the sandpit methodology a solution for disparities in research funding? Considerations regarding inclusion, diversity, equity, and access

The distribution of research funding in academia is not equitable. There is a disproportionate allocation of funding benefitting an academic elite, whereas researchers from different marginalized groups have fewer opportunities to obtain funding. This can be changed by exploring alternative ways to allocate research funding. One way in which funding agencies have tried to stimulate research based on more equitable principles is the sandpit model. A sandpit is an intensive, multi-day brainstorming event during which different consortia are formed. These consortia are subsequently required to compete to obtain research funding. Very little research is done on how and whether such models work. There is some evidence that, under the right circumstances, models such as the sandpit can stimulate multidisciplinary research with societal impact. However, no attention has been given to the question whether these models contribute to equity within the academic world, or whether they sustain the inequities that are prominent. Within this paper, we critically examine possible mechanisms of exclusion through an in-depth study of a sandpit event, and we discuss which groups are disadvantaged by these events. Furthermore, we suggest ways in which sandpits and other funding initiatives can be made more equitable.