I'll answer your question in part, and then I'll ask Ms. Plourde to round out the answer. As the director of a research centre, the question speaks to her daily reality.
As someone in charge of coordinating economic development in a region that is home to numerous research facilities, I see executive directors spending a considerable amount of time putting the funding they have received in place and turning their focus to the next funding request shortly thereafter. They might dedicate a year or a year and a half of their time in a three-year funding cycle to the funding renewal process alone.
A research facility's executive director is a precious resource. Not only are they skilled researchers, but they are also experts in team management and business development. The more time they spend on funding applications, the harder it is for them to seek out international markets, where they can market the fruits of their research, for instance.