It may not be much in the scheme of things, but most universities pool grants. After taking operational costs (as much as 50%) the funds are then delegated to d

It may not be much in the scheme of things, but most universities pool grants. After taking operational costs (as much as 50%) the funds are then delegated to department for dispersement across payroll, research, etc. Depending on grant stipulations. Every grant no matter the size is important. When I sat on the board of a Computer Science department, the University was pushing professors and students alike, to press for research grants of any size to help bolster the coffers. It's a messed up system honestly, but they definitely have a set number of grants they need at a minimum. Fortunately this will probably work out in the professors benefit in the long run within his industry and hopefully help with future grant writing endeavors.