Having been the staff member for an internally funded grants competition at
two (vastly) different universities, I have seen the same concerns voiced
by Kenneth Buelow arise again and again.

In both cases, where there was not enough expertise in a particular field
(mathematics, for instance), the department head or closest expert in the
field was asked for an evaluation of the proposal.

Neither institution (or School, as is currently the case for me) has
provided feedback about the proposal, although committees always discuss
how helpful it would be to provide such feedback.  From an administrative
point of view, this turns out to be nearly impossible given the limited
amount of time such a committee usually has to meet and make decisions.
However, if there seems to be a particular concern, usually a committee
member volunteers to discuss it privately with the applicant.

About feedback - those who get funding have positive things to say.  Those
who don't are going to starve over the summer and it is all the committee's
fault.

Diane Barrett                                         TEL: 608/263-5289
Research Administration                   FAX: 608/263-5332
School of Nursing
University of Wisconsin-Madison
 Internet: xxxxxx@vms.macc.wisc.edu