Throughout my 35-year career in science communication, I’ve regularly been asked “what makes a good research story?” Luckily, I have worked in institutions that encouraged their researchers to develop research ‘for the real world’, both in Australia and overseas.

RESET 2020 Research Project - what we learnt and where to next.

While preparing to speak about NFPs and innovation for a recent conference, it dawned on me just how prolific the mindset and language of “more” is in our sector: “do more, with less”, “find more donors”, “be more innovative”…

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Have you ever heard of someone buying a car, and asking for a $25,000 discount because they don’t want to pay for the overheads to make the car? Have you ever heard of someone buying a car, and asking for a $25,000 discount because they don’t want to pay for the overheads to make the car?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals agreed by 193 Member States at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in New York in 2015. Signatories have committed to reaching these goals by 2030.  This article provides context supplemented with observations on how Australia is tracking against the goals and associated indicators.

Have you ever travelled on the London underground? In the older Victorian era stations, the new trains don’t quite fit with the platforms. Passengers will hear a cheery voice urging them to ‘mind the gap’. Failure to heed the warning may result in you losing a wallet, a shoe or even half of your leg in the yawing chasm between platform and train entrance. In the gap lies the detritus of 150 years of travel and some enterprising mice with Teflon stomachs. You don’t want to go there.

You know it’s nearly time and you’ve been dreading it.  You need to have a performance discussion with one of your team members and you know it’s going to be difficult for you.  And them. 

“You can’t whistle a symphony. You need the whole orchestra”. H.E. Luccock 
I miss live music. Lockdowns have left me craving the thrill of being in a live audience with the music about to start. Just a few weeks ago I watched my son play in his university orchestra.  During a lively moment in Mendelssohn’s violin concerto the conductor got so excited she dropped her baton into the cello section. Without missing a beat, the orchestra continued playing.

Do you keep an eye on the obituaries to ensure key donors or prospects are not amongst those listed as having passed away?

Last year I had nights when I struggled to sleep. My head touching the pillow was the starting gun for my entire To Do List leaping into action. Urgent things poked and prodded my brain. It was like being in goal with 200 Ronaldos lined up for a penalty shot.