In many disciplines, for research that can be published in international journals, it is important to have sufficient funding and collaborations with international researchers. Although extremely competitive, there are multiple funding agencies that are willing to accept applications for expensive lab-based, field-based or collaborative research. Hence, it is important to share a structured and detailed application with funding agencies.
For an early-stage researcher, the biggest challenge is getting sufficient funding for him/her to create his lab and begin exploring his area of research.