  In the grant peer review process we can distinguish various evaluation stages
in which assessors judge applications on a rating scale. Research on this
process that considers its multi-stage character scarcely exists. In this study
we analyze 1954 applications for doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships of the
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (B.I.F.), assessed in three stages (first:
evaluation by an external reviewer; second: internal evaluation by a staff
member; third: final decision by the B.I.F. Board of Trustees). The results
show that an application only has a chance of approval if it was recommended
for support in the first evaluation stage. Therefore, a form of triage or
pre-screening seems desirable. We found differences in transition probabilities
from one stage to the other for doctoral applicants submitted by males and
females.
