I won a grant that I wrote myself, but it was awarded under my PI's name due to the rules that prohibited including my own name. Nevertheless, I was thrilled about it as it is highly beneficial for my future career and aligns with my current and future research goals. I acknowledge that without my PI's CV and expertise, I would not have been able to secure the grant, so I am grateful for their contribution.
Currently, I am working on another topic and we are planning to hire a postdoc to conduct experiments related to the grant idea. I am pleased about this because even though I conceived the idea and won the grant, I would prefer to supervise someone else since I am not an expert in this particular field.
Furthermore, in addition to hiring the postdoc, my PI has also proposed that another potential postdoc write their individual fellowship based on my grant idea. My PI has assured me that I would be fully involved in this process, which could lead to more experiments being conducted and the establishment of a larger research group dedicated to this topic. Consequently, we may have two individuals working on this idea, with both myself and my PI serving as supervisors and co-authors for the potential publications.
Although I understand the benefits of this approach, I can't help but feel disappointed as it seems like I might be losing ownership of my research agenda. If this person were to win the individual fellowship, they would be building upon my idea without my name being associated with it.
Fortunately, my PI has assured me that they will not proceed with this plan if I disagree, which shows their understanding and consideration. I am uncertain about whether my concerns are justified. Should I allow this person to write their individual fellowship based on my idea?