The PRINWINNERS dataset: Inequalities in Italian competitive research funding

The adoption of competitive grants for allocating funds for public research is based on the assumption that competition enhances the efficiency of public expenditure, promoting higher quality in research processes and outcomes. However, literature on the topic has pointed out the drawbacks of the competitive model. This analysis focuses on the indirect effect of competitive funding in enhancing inequalities among academic institutions and disciplinary macro-sectors in Italy. The study presents the PRINWINNERS dataset, encompassing approximately 6,500 research projects funded to over 18,500 recipients across 4 rounds of the PRIN programme from 2017 to 2022, including the extraordinary NRRP-labelled round in 2022. The general PRIN regulation sets an equitable distribution of funds among STEM, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences, but such equity is not always reflected within these areas. Adopting the proportion of tenures as benchmark, then some disciplinary macro-sectors have benefited more from competition than others within the same area. Variance is found in the median funding for recipient across academic institutions. Universities specialised in bio-medical or technological research receive high median fundings whereas those specialised in social sciences receive low with Bocconi University being a noteworthy outlier. Almost half of the budget of the 2022 NRRP round has been allocated in Southern universities. Findings suggest that disciplinary specialisation does not predict sufficiently well the allocations and call for including network metrics in future studies on the drivers of inequalities in research funding.