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How nice to be a grant winner, especially if you are one of those listed in Times ÖйúAƬ's weekly roll of honour. However, for those of us who have tried but never won, you might consider introducing a grant losers' section as well.

Alongside each losing project title, instead of the usual sum of money, I suggest you record the number of man-weeks in wasted effort involved.

Some relief for the researcher might accrue if you gave their perceived reason for losing. Possible examples include: "They didn't like the cut of my jib"; "My publications are crap in crap journals"; "People like me shouldn't be doing research"; "I was asking for too much money"; "I wasn't asking for enough money"; "My research wouldn't rate as an undergraduate project in their research-intensive set-up".

Ben Atkinson, Hertfordshire.