It has come to my attention that many innovators are afraid of what success means.  Not in the sense that they don’t want money and attention for their work as much as the fear of how success impacts their lab time.  The process of innovation is such an important part of many innovators identity that there is a fear success might inhibit their ability to spend time involved in their passion. 

It is important to understand that this is probably more perception that fact. The key is to find the right commercialization partners who complement you and understand your position.  Of course this means giving up a lot of control and ownership of that current innovation but allows you to succeed with your commercialization while returning to the lab for improvements or the next project.  Having one of your technologies succeed also does not mean a granting authority will cut you off on future projects.  Commercial success is a key criteria for many grants so success commercially should only improve your ability to secure funding for future projects.