With current constraints of public funding of research the question of principal investigator (PI) success has gained prominence. Yet understanding grant success remains problematic. While often associated with peer acceptance of the proposal text, research fundability in large part is informed by PI participation in the social systems of research funding, knowledge making, and academic work. This article reports on part of an in-depth longitudinal exploration of how three expert science PIs in Canada navigate and negotiate these contexts to achieve sustained grant funding success. It focuses on how one of these scientists develops and draws on collaborative research networks in creating fundable front-line knowledge. The findings contribute towards an understanding of the role experiential learning and individual agency play in PI success. Practical implications for early-career researchers are outlined. Further questions about the interconnectedness of PI navigating and negotiating research funding and knowledge and academic work are raised.