We all know that research translation is hard and that it is difficult to find and maintain collaborative research partners (no matter where they are from). Grants are difficult to come by and industry partners seem disinterested in our work.

However, one of the ways to overcome some of these problems is to have an online presence. A presence that makes us accessible. A presence that attracts rather than one that repels. A presence that encourages our ideal partners to propose or engage with our ideal projects.

Researchers, universities and research institutes and centres have been online for years. It is well established that twitter has a large number of academic users. There is also some research to suggest tweets and tweetations are positively correlated with future citations.

However, most of these activities tend to target the expert. Content has tended to be an abridged version of the peer reviewed research, rather than a summary that could be understood by (almost) any audience. Furthermore, although researchers have taken strongly to social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, they are less certain about LinkedIn. Yet, this is the one tool designed and developed for business-to-business networking and therefore the best social media tool for the translation of research outcomes into everyday use.

Unlike other social media, LinkedIn has remained exclusively for business. 

There are few personal or life posts. Whereas twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and almost all others have become a mixture of personal as well as business posts and profiles. This means LinkedIn is uniquely positioned to facilitate explicit and meaningful interactions purely for the purpose of a business transaction.

So how can researchers make use of this? How can researchers make their LinkedIn profile translation ready?

In this program you will:

• Discover why LinkedIn is so powerful to access industry
• Explore the specific aspects of a profile to help you stand out from the crowd.
• Create a profile that is a marketing document rather than a resume
• Uncover the three key secrets to access industry opportunities
• Learn what to say to reach out those who wish to collaborate with.
• Discover how to write content that translates effectively for Industry on LinkedIn
• Explore groups and identify the best ones that will be of use for you.

You'll also have free access to Dr Richard Huysmans' Private Facebook Group "Beyond Your PhD with Dr Richard Huysmans."

What clients have said...

“After going through the program, I realised the role LinkedIn can play in research – not just for creating collaborations, but also for translation and even funding.”

 - Dr Claudia Meyer, Research Officer RDNS

“Reading and reviewing posts of actual and potential industry partners help align and re-align our industry-focused research.” 

- Professor Shantha Rajaratnam, Deputy Head, Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience

“If someone from a university contacts me via LinkedIn, I take notice, review their profile and reply. That’s much better than my performance on email.” 

- Stephen Tomisich, CEO Trajan Scientific and Medical

“Following the workshop and profile update, the impact was almost immediate” 

- Dr David Greening

In late May 2016 we delivered LinkedIn for Translation training to 10 LIMS staff – including Dr Greening. This involved helping researchers use LinkedIn for industry and external engagement. Since that time Dr Greening has been approached by at least three different organisations primarily through (if not entirely due) to his presence and recognition on LinkedIn. So far, this has resulted in an invited presentation to a closed meeting at Cedars-Sinai’s Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute (US). David used his existing network (incorporating LinkedIn) to then leverage the trip to the US with some other presentations including one at Harvard Medical School.