People move on in their careers. Even when someone stays within the federal government, say, for decades, they may move to a new organization one or more times during that period. While this has always been the case, currently there are even more federal employees in flux as a result of layoffs, early retirement or other incentives.

Look at it from your perspective: First, it’s normal to worry when you learn that one of your funder’s program officers is leaving, especially if you have a proposal pending or are in the process of completing one. Was all your hard work to reach that stage wasted?

Second, realize that there may be a replacement covering the duties of the person who left. Even if it’s not someone who will be dedicated to the position full time, the work will be assigned to someone who's still there. It may take time to learn who that new contact will be, and it can change a few times before it's finally settled. Be patient and find out.

Thirdly, be sure to reach out and connect with the person who left if you have a way of doing so. This is another reason to be on LinkedIn, which raises the chances that you will be able to reach each other. 

You might be asking, Why would I reach out to this person if they're not going to be able to fund my proposal? The new role of your prior contact may or may not involve funding. Regardless, If you had a good relationship and shared technical interests, congratulate them and ask if they can get on Zoom for 30 minutes to talk about what you're doing now, and ask them the same. They still care about your research -- even if it was only in the preproposal stage.

Also, you will want to be aware of where they moved to because it might be another funding organization. Or it might be industry, in which case there could be interest in collaboration. Whatever the case, you still want to keep them in your network.

Fourth, in your conversations be sure to avoid any questions about sensitive or proprietary information. Just work on establishing a relationship around items of mutual interest that are safely discussed in public. You will have just expanded your professional network to include a contact at a new organization!

Lastly, you never know when you will be able to provide introductions, information or brainstorming to this person while you are interacting as peers. Don’t worry about financial support or other tangible benefits. Just go ahead and continue developing the relationship.

This is a more mature way to think about a ‘lost’ funding source and what you can be doing from that point on. One never knows when the tables can be turned and someone is coming to you for input. We aim to operate in a collaborative ecosystem as much as possible. And, while change and competition cannot be eliminated, supporting each other whenever possible is better for all.

Unfortunately, we have many professionals leaving civil service positions currently and I would ask you to keep these thoughts in mind. Reach out to your current and former program officers and let them know that you appreciate them and realize that we're all in this together.

And, I’ll remind you again not to panic when one of your program officers leaves their role. There’s still important work to do.

From Perfectionism to Iterative Improvement

Continuing with the series 7 Key Mindset Shifts for New Assistant Professors, in this video I explain how you can employ the mentality of fail fast to quickly gather feedback and iterate for funding success. Check it out!

When you are ready, here’s how we can help

Need to get your research funded, this year? Check out our 12-week program to get you there.

Check out our storefront where you can access our free Unlocking DOD Funding for University Researchers course and other resources, including for faculty applicants.

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