We help universities, businesses, funders and people make better decisions about strategy and research systems.

We bring clarity to portfolios so organisations can act with confidence in planning and governance. As cross-subsidy models come under strain, we help clients understand and reshape the economics of their research and teaching, enabling deliberate choices about what to sustain, scale or stop. Research Behaviour Intelligence (RBI) methodology can provide deep insight and benchmarking to tell you whether your people development initiatives are targeted to the right people, and whether they, and your system is benefitting.

We enjoy also working with selected applicants to help with positioning and approach to secure the best funding to enable people and ideas to flourish and grow. 

how we help

  • Alongside portfolio work, we provide focused support on:

    • Research funding strategy and positioning

    • Engagement with government and public funding bodies

    • Development of competitive, credible bids where it counts

    We work selectively, where we can add real value.

  • Flexible interim executive support, ranging from days to months. Benefit from extensive leadership experience at the interfaces between higher education, government, policy and funding.

  • We provide a clear, evidence-based view of how research activity performs financially across your institution.

    • Quantify income against full economic cost across portfolios, disciplines and funders

    • Identify hidden subsidy, cross-subsidy and structural deficits

    • Surface patterns that are usually obscured in aggregate reporting

    • Translate TRAC and financial data into decisions leaders can act on

    The result is a clear understanding of where research is sustainable, where it is not, and why. Our RBI pages tell you more.

  • We do not stop at analysis. We help institutions change behaviour and improve outcomes.

    • Define when subsidy is justified and when it is not

    • Strengthen bid approval, pricing and governance frameworks

    • Reduce routine waivers of estates and indirect costs

    • Rebalance portfolios towards more sustainable activity

    • Equip teams with practical tools, not just recommendations

    This is about enabling better decisions, not adding process.

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