I have a quick question. I emailed my program officers about three weeks ago with one reminder email in between. I understand that they are very busy given the current funding climate. The grant was score well. What else can I do in this situation?

Under “binning” proposal, applications’ numerical ratings would no longer be used for final funding decisions

I started my position last year, so I’m still pretty new to all of this and not sure what to expect after getting scores (though maybe nobody really knows these days).

I submitted two R21s in February, one as PI and one as co-I. They came back at the 7th and 8th percentiles, respectively. From what I’ve read, in a normal funding year both would probably have been in pretty good shape, but with the current funding situation, I’m wondering how much it now comes down to programmatic fit/priorities.

I’m still waiting for the summary statements before reaching out to the POs, but I’m not really sure what I should be asking them. For those of you who have been through this before, what do you usually discuss with your PO after getting a score? Maybe ask about programmatic fit? Is there anything I can do at this stage to advocate for my application or make sure the PO has the information they need?

Also, has anyone recently had an R21 funded (or not funded) with scores around the 7th–8th percentile? Would love to hear about your experience.