Friends Review is when, one way or another, you get funded because of a little help from your friends. Namely, you write your scientific proposal, sure, but this does not get strictly Peer Reviewed, therefore it does not get that so-much-beneficial criticism before you grab your pipette, hammer, or whatever instrument, to pursue the real thing. Much that Friends Review may sound as an easy way forward (no hassles with writing your hypothesis and aims with the necessary details), it can really back-fire at you. For example, a friend of mine was hired to work on a project that, she later learned, had not gone through peer-review. Hardly one year into the works, she realized that the idea behind the project was flawed.
Don’t get too discouraged though. Italy is making some bold steps into fostering peer-review at home. And this is not just about funding, but also about science positions. That is, Universities are gearing themselves toward hiring people with more transparency. Yay!
The two recent open calls for scientific proposals that I reported on this blog (1 and 2) have openly declared their commitment to peer review. Peer review was also on the agenda at an event hosted yesterday in a satellite building of the Italian Lower Chamber, here in Rome. The event focussed also on other key issues such as attracting foreign minds in this boot-shaped country, funding, and methods to foster meritocracy (by the way, the new blog icon was drawn by Viktor, concept by Viktor and myself)