For all schemes, except the Curiosity Award scheme and Follow-on-Funding scheme (under £30,000), applicants whose application passes the quality threshold will be given the right to reply to the reviewer’s comments received. An application will pass the quality threshold if it receives two or more reviews with a supportive score (4 to 6).
The project lead will be invited to submit a project lead response to the reviews and any technical assessments received. This gives applicants the chance to address any factual inaccuracies or conceptual misunderstandings, or to respond to any questions raised. It is not intended to be an opportunity for the applicant to change or reconstitute an application in light of the comments.
The project lead will have 14 days to respond to reviewer comments. They are not obliged to submit a response but are encouraged to do so, as responses from applicants are shared with panel members and are considered when applications are moderated.
If a response is not received from the project lead within the period stated, then the application will proceed to the panel meeting without it.
If a project lead considers that a response to a particular review or reviews is not required, they are asked to include a statement to this effect in their response. Here are the points to consider for a project lead response:
- there is no need to repeat reviewer comments
- you should aim to keep language neutral in tone, even if you feel strongly about a reviewer’s comments
- it is important to focus on answering questions and addressing any issues raised by reviewers
- you should aim to be specific in your comments
- you should not rewrite the application
Last updated: 4 November 2024