Research Outside the Box

This chart from Science Made Stupid was meant as a joke, but it might just be too true. Does the idea die if it cannot get funding? How many times have you heard the irritating cliche, "think outside the box." Actually, in medical research, to think differently is academic suicide. Linus Pauling, who received TWO Nobel Prizes, one for peace and one for chemistry, was shunned by the scientific world when he advocated the use of Vitamin C for improving health - from the prevention of colds to the arrest of cancer. See Mother Earth Interview that details his struggle. If a Nobel Prize winner cannot get funding for research, how would an average scientist with a novel idea that challenged accepted beliefs fare?