Grant applications are primarily judged on the perceived strength of the research plan. The reviewers work in the same field as the applicant and are expected

Grant applications are primarily judged on the perceived strength of the research plan. The reviewers work in the same field as the applicant and are expected to judge the proposal on its merits. Citation count is therefore already not a major factor in whether a grant is awarded or not, at least in engineering. Citation counts are considered by promotion committees though. In this case, committee members are often from different fields and have less ability to judge the quality of the applicants' work for themselves. None of the above matters in this particular case though—the problem is that Corchado was the only candidate on the ballot: "… taking advantage of the strange surprise resignation of the previous rector, and presenting himself as the only candidate. He received the support of 6.5% of the 33,000 university members who were called to vote, with half of the faculty voting blank as a sign of protest. "