Understanding the selection processes of public research projects in agriculture: The role of scientific merit

•Scientific merit pays off in agricultural research.•Experience of the reviewers also matters.•Gender composition of the proposing team can be a source of bias.•A more careful process of composition of the reviewers' teams has to be considered.•Selection of research proposal might be treated more anonymously.

This paper analyses factors that affect the funding of agricultural research projects by regional governments and other regional public authorities. We study the selection process of agricultural research projects funded by the Emilia Romagna regional government in Italy, which follows funding procedures similar to many other European regional public authorities. Leveraging a unique dataset, a Heckman selection model demonstrates that the scientific merit of proposed projects is the primary selection criterion. Still, factors such as the experience of the proposal's reviewers and the gender composition of the reviewing team also influence whether or not a submitted proposal receives funding as well as the amount allocated to the proposal.