Do the Experiment, Then Ask for It to Be Funded

After not being funded through a new investigator program, Professor in Training asks what exactly is needed for a new PI to get a grant. She is particularly interested in knowing the weight given to prior funding, quantity of preliminary data, and academic pedigree. BlueLabCoats' drdrA takes up the task to address these concerns. For the first, she says that postdoctoral funding matters -- but that by how much "depends." For prelim data, she says you have to show the reviewers that you can successfully complete the project. "My most successful applications have been ones where I had a piece of credible preliminary data to support every single experimental aim and technique," drdrA writes, adding that it seems like overkill. Finally, pedigree does matter, though she says if you get in some good networking at meetings, that'll be a big help.