So here’s something I didn’t see coming I ended up spinning a casual lab coffee chat into a full-blown grant opportunity. A colleague mentioned an offhand idea about microbial resistance in urban environments, and next thing I knew, we were drafting a proposal. It got me wondering: how often does this happen? Has anyone else stumbled into funding just by riffing on a random conversation? Would love to hear how those opportunities unfolded for you, or if you’ve got tips for turning informal talks into solid proposals. Sometimes the best ideas really do start with, “Wait, what if…?”