There are of course always escape hatches, and I am glad they exist, but I wouldn’t currently feel comfortable telling anyone that receiving speculation grants is optional in any meaningful way.
I’ll change the wording to be a bit weaker though and say “first receive a speculation grant in order to be evaluated in a grant round on the same basis as other applicants”.
Oh cool, that appears to be a recent change! The 2025 FAQ indicated more strongly that speculation grants are required. I am glad recommenders can now override this default if they want.
The website does still say:
There are of course always escape hatches, and I am glad they exist, but I wouldn’t currently feel comfortable telling anyone that receiving speculation grants is optional in any meaningful way.
I’ll change the wording to be a bit weaker though and say “first receive a speculation grant in order to be evaluated in a grant round on the same basis as other applicants”.