As I wrote, different folks will already be chasing more immediate projects as they're too attractive: Think masters students, industry labs, startups, etc. R

As I wrote, different folks will already be chasing more immediate projects as they're too attractive: Think masters students, industry labs, startups, etc. Rules are meant to be broken. For example, a professor will often put a masters student on a cute me-too one-off project in a hot area as the short-termism helps the student have a smoother time, and the professor is trading expected low impact in the the project for a cheap shot to see if there is a more interesting question behind the immediate one. Much of the PhD is about learning to spot & navigate problems, not solutions. Young PhD students can totally pick the same me-too problems of masters students. The advisors would likely just think the student is using the same approach to seeing where the PhD worthy problem is. If still nothing, should be ready to drop the topic, or if they truly love me-too work more than the PhD process, leave for a better environment for that, like a company / industry lab / startup throwing more resources at the problem. Also, not every phd needs to do the original topic of attempting impact. You can totally use the PhD years to learn how to do me-too & unimpactful work or even the most weird & niche problems: as long as at least one advisor thinks they can stay funded while supporting you, most programs will let you through.