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Let the people discover what to invest in themselves.

I'd rather have a panel of experts in the field with clear criteria decide the merit of the grant vs a crowdfunding-like model where people vote for the most charismatic person with the most well-produced video.

Those “panels of experts” tend to be interested in what they are already trained in. An expert is the last person you want to push for new ideas.

What clear criteria do they use to decide the merits of grants?

> the most charismatic person with the most well-produced video.

Ability to actually communicate your idea and justification for being funded, effectively and in a professional manner, is something notably missing from many academic projects. It's not exactly zero signal.

> Let the people discover what to invest in themselves.

and then the people will be asking for faster horses.

Did the government invent automobiles?

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