<b>Applicants as Reviewers: Evaluating the Risks, Benefits, and Potential of Distributed Peer Review for Grant Funding Allocations</b><b>  </b>(RoRI Working Paper No. 17)

<p dir="ltr"><b>This paper presents a mixed-methods evaluation of an experiment with distributed peer review (DPR) carried out by the Volkswagen Foundation.</b></p><p dir="ltr">DPR is an alternative funding evaluation model in which applicants also act as reviewers for other proposals in the same call. The study compares DPR with conventional panel review, examining efficiency, fairness, and robustness of funding decisions, as well as participants’ experiences and concerns.</p><p dir="ltr">Findings highlight both the advantages of DPR - including scalability, diversity of feedback, and reduced time to decision - and potential risks such as gaming, workload, and limits on reviewer expertise.</p><p dir="ltr">The paper concludes with strategic recommendations for funders considering the implementation of DPR.</p>