A couple notes: - As mentioned by several people, your math is a little off, and indirects are not a flat tax, there's a calculation for what is eligible for b

A couple notes: - As mentioned by several people, your math is a little off, and indirects are not a flat tax, there's a calculation for what is eligible for being charged indirect costs and at what rate. - The CAREER award is prestigious because it is a signaling mechanism - it's directly funding a particular PI more than it is a project. It's...sort of like being picked for a YC round in that respect. - NSF funding is designed, philosophically, around smaller awards by and large, compared to say the NIH. The average "Oh, this'll make sure you get tenure" award for NIH-funded fields is an R01, which has a direct budget of about $1.25 million.