Grant Karma
May 17, 2011
There is a lot of injustice in grant award and grant failure.
Sometimes you don’t get the award you really should have received.
Sometimes you get one that you don’t deserve or for which you are not really the best PI or investigative team.
If you focus exclusively on the former you are going to fail to maintain the conditions that make the latter possible.
DrugMonkey 
May 17, 2011 at 9:22 am
Wow, you really don’t want to work on your grant.
LikeLike
May 17, 2011 at 9:41 am
What conditions make it possible? As far as I can tell applying for grants is like trying to hit a pinata while blindfolded and handcuffed. It’s an awkward situation, nothing really helps other than taking a lot of wacks and hoping to get lucky.
LikeLike
May 17, 2011 at 9:53 am
Applying.
LikeLike
May 17, 2011 at 10:09 am
nothing really helps other than taking a lot of wacks and hoping to get lucky.
I think you got it.
LikeLike
May 17, 2011 at 11:23 am
Make sure you have the biggest stick possible, and keep whacking.
LikeLike
May 18, 2011 at 2:15 am
They took away my stick last cycle– can I borrow yours?
LikeLike
May 20, 2011 at 4:23 am
I’m afraid I don’t have a stick.
LikeLike
June 1, 2011 at 7:29 am
Agreed! It is amazing how some of the most last-minute, disorganized proposals manage to get funded while excellent ones that PIs worked on for months go unfunded. I don’t know whether to chalk this up to luck or the mood of the reviewers. Don’t give up though!
LikeLike
June 1, 2011 at 8:05 am
Even my “last minute” proposals are organized. In fact probably the most organized because if you don’t stick to your mental template you’ll never get it off on time….
LikeLike