Tuesday, January 5, 2010

OF COURSE it won't be here until next week!

Regular readers may know that I've been working on getting a lot of data recently for two projects. I am submitting grant proposals to fund both of these projects in the next week, one on Friday and the other on Tuesday. In order to strengthen these proposals, I set a couple of things in motion from weeks to months ago so that I would have data to add. I have samples being processed for both projects in two different locations right now. One set has been a continuous problem for months and the other was submitted a little later than I would have liked because of some lab issues.

I've been in contact with both over the last month and yesterday I talked directly with the people running the samples in each place. I got the same answer from both: we'll send you data next week.

Oh, you mean right after I've submitted both grants?

Yes, I know I can submit an update to the grant but there's no guarantee that it will be given to the reviewers since it is up to the PO to make a call on that. Having the data in the actual proposal is kinda a big deal. I should have known that the data would miss the deadline by mere days, that's just how things have been going for the last few months.

Dude. Fuck! sigh.

5 comments:

  1. In my experience reviewers don't see the updates, only panel members (at least two of whom should be reviewing your proposal). I would only go ahead and submit without the data if previous submissions received strongly positive reviews. Otherwise you're better off waiting the six months to the next deadline.

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  2. Both have gotten good reviews in the past and I have new data for both, just not the coup de grĂ¢ce that these data would be. I still think it's worth submitting them and providing the update. There's a slim chance I will have some limited information before one or both of the grants go out.

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  3. Grrrr! I'm gnashing my teeth for you.

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  4. I've been on both ends, waiting for data and generating the data (Next-Gen sequences for someone else). In some ways it sucks more when you have a deadline for someone else and you know you are screwing them over by being late. Sorry you are on the wrong end this time.

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  5. That totally blows. Then again science is never on time (even with bigass safety factors). Dude, sigh.

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