10th November, 2021

Ambitious projects that aim to solve big problems require big teams. These teams might be composed of different disciplines, nationalities, viewpoints, and capabilities. Collaboration is key.

as part of this research fellowship (and others in the past), I’ve felt the unmatchable exhilaration of finding collaborators who are the problem owners matching the solution my team and I seek to provide.

Alas, not all collaborations last. Not all partnerships get the chance to walk the walk after talking the talk. Times change fast. And you are not the only one seeking to better yourself, to move up the career ladder, to move on when a fleeting opportunity is there to be taken.

These fellowships often take so long to mature from application to kick-off that the entire plan that you initially wrote down needs revision. On the side of collaborators, those who supported you mightn’t be in the same job anymore. That, in and of itself, might sever the tie to the end user base that you once thought were massively attracted the solution you had to offer them. The fancy company logo you once emblazoned your proposal with to signal the weight of the partnerships you’d set up in the beginning might have - in the fullness of time - been subsumed into another company, a bigger one, an acquiring one.

As a dear mentor once reminded me, you are always looking for pull rather than push. No matter how many wonderful collaborations you think you might have, you can only really afford to focus on those that pull you towards them versus those you have to push for.

Times change, and so should your plans.

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