When and to what extent failure‑tolerant incentives increase scientific risk‑taking

Determine the extent and delineate the conditions under which failure‑tolerant incentive schemes that provide long‑term stability lead to increased risk‑taking and exploration among scientists working in academic research settings.

Background

The paper discusses theoretical and empirical work suggesting that incentive schemes which tolerate failure and provide stability can encourage innovators and scientists to take more risks and explore novel ideas. However, the authors explicitly note uncertainty about how broadly and under what specific circumstances this insight applies within scientific research contexts.

Clarifying the boundary conditions—such as field differences, career stage, funding mechanism design, and institutional environments—would inform the design of grant policies that aim to promote exploration without unintended consequences.