[greyface-]

I don't disagree with you -- $200k is a lot, especially by global standards. But I encourage you to check the Form 990s filed with the IRS by your favorite 501 charity, and see how much is spent on e.g. executive salaries. This kind of compensation is not uncommon.

[q1w2]

$200K is not a lot if you live in a high cost location like SF on NYC, are senior in your IT career, and have a family. In IT it's below average, and the commenter here is saying he'd be taking a pay cut to do this.

He's an expensive grant, but he's probably got more potential to solve a problem than the average PhD student.