AFIRE Experimental Funders Group meetings (2026)

The AFIRE Experimental Funders Group meetings are an opportunity for research funders to discuss current issues in research funding and experimental approaches. You can see some details of previous events here: AFIRE Funders’ Forum Event series (2024-2025).

Our first workshop will be on Wednesday 13 May, 16:00 CEST on the topic of AI in funding. Confirmed speakers are:

• Andrés F. Rodríguez, Impact and Learning Manager at Stanford Impact Labs (SIL), an impact-oriented research funder, will speak on “The role of evaluations on responsible AI use for research grant-making”
• Ben Steyn, Head of Metascience at DSIT and co-head of the DSIT/UKRI Metascience Unit will speak about a portfolio of UKRI projects to test the feasibility and effectiveness of AI desk rejection, AI as a reviewer, and AI as a meta-reviewer, as well as wider thinking and consideration of how AI is shaping the applications (number and content) and could be integrated into UKRI processes

Contact us if you would like to contribute to the discussion on this topic.

There will be opportunity for questions and discussion, as well as updates from the RoRI funder network.

If you would like to attend, please register here: https://forms.gle/TV9DdsAHHP5aUDHN7.

Future workshop dates and topics:

13 May 16:00 CEST- AI in Funding

17 June 16:00 CEST – Distributed Peer Review

14 October 16:00 CEST – Desk Rejection

16 December 09:00 CEST – ‘Lottery First’ methods

RoRI’s AFIRE project exists to produce more and better funder experiments, and to encourage funders’ knowledge about experiments, enthusiasm for experiments, and use of experiments as evidence. The aim of the Experimental Funders Group is to provide funders with a venue for engagement, learning and identifying opportunities for experiments.

All events are online and take place under the Chatham House rule. The meetings will provide an informal, high-trust environment in which the pros, cons and uncertainties of more experimental approaches to research and innovation (R&I) funding can be shared and discussed among peers in the R&I funding community.

If you have any questions and/or if you would like to contribute on a particular topic please get in touch with Josie Coburn (josie.coburn@ucl.ac.uk) or Tom Stafford (t.stafford@researchonresearch.org).