Ian Goodwin-Smith Australian Centre for Community Services Research Forging Successful Partnerships with Industry Views on what works from an industry partner perspective Ian Goodwin-Smith Australian Centre for Community Services Research

What have I won/sought investment for? Projects which have ground floor, design-level buy in from partners Projects where partners are respected for their insights in setting the agenda (research priority), not just designing the project (research methodology), and certainly not just co-financing and executing the project

What have I rejected? Ivory tower excursions Finished proposals – that’s not a serious proposition

Linkages Meditate on the word, but with a small ‘l’ It’s about partnerships, not about cash and in kind contributions Category 1 funding mimicking commercial Category 2 & 3 conditions – think about what it means to play in that world

Walk in their world And don’t talk in the jargon of an ‘Eligible Institution’ – Linkages are about Commonwealth co-investment, not Category 1 funding Use common language – although Eligible Institutions manage the funds, try not to see them as the centre of things, and choose your language accordingly

Relationships … are everything Don’t develop relationships for a Linkage, use relationships in developing a Linkage Start early

The two pager … is all I want to see: if you can’t be succinct, we probably can’t work together, and if the project is developed too far, you’ve kept me in the cold for too long Leave space for co-design Better still, show me where our relationship, or your relationships with the industry or the sector, have informed your research question (co-generation)

The research question Have one Make sure it feels like a cosy pair of slippers to your partner (demonstrate co-generation)

Why would I invest in you? What are your governance structures, and project management skills? In ARC terms, what’s the research environment? If you can’t answer this well, you probably haven’t finished putting your team together

Outputs Need to be more than publications Can be stepped, iterative and inclusive of partners Need to be creative – this is a lot of money for a final report. More is needed.

Which brings me back to the principle of co-design … You are not there to bestow expertise, but to co-create it and to cooperate in maximising its utility. Pay special attention to that last bit – partners need to get something out of the project

That’s all part of a broad question – what is the meaningful role that your partners will play? Work that out with them They’re not necessarily PIs anymore Have a conversation ready about how they will be included, and this needs to be more than a conversation about building up an in-kind budget – what will their ongoing involvement at the heart of the project look like?

Don’t be vague There are certain things which require a straight conversation: How much money do you need? How much in-kind support do you need? What are the timelines? Who are the potential partners? What are the chances of success?

Have a Plan B A second submission A smaller Category 2/3 project Talk this through in advance – research projects occupy unreasonably long timeframes. Manage expectations around this