Helping MRIs prove and grow their value they provide

We help medical research institutes demonstrate impact through compelling evidence, strengthening partnerships, sharpening performance, and securing sustainable support. At dandolo, we help MRIs show and grow the value they provide. We:

Demonstrate your value

Quantify your institute’s economic, health, and reputational impact to funders and stakeholders.

We can provide value by:

  • Estimating your organisation’s impact on economic, health and reputational outcomes

  • Developing business cases to advocate for government, philanthropic and other funding.

Examples include:

  1. Assisting Victorian MRIs to secure reform of indirect cost funding to state government, for the first time in 11 years

  2. Twice securing >$20m in project investment in a paediatric research alliance from a state government

  3. Supporting a state MRI to receive continued and new support for indirect costs

Strengthen university partnerships

Evidence your contributions to university rankings, student supervision, and indirect costs to support stronger agreements.

We can provide value by:

  • Calculating how your organisation improves your partner university’s international rankings

  • Calculating the additional income that your organisation brings into your partner university in research funding, Research Block Grants and through the supervision of Higher Degree Research students

  • Benchmarking your current and proposed funding arrangements with partner universities (such as indirect funding per dollar of research funding) against what other MRIs are receiving

  • Providing you evidence and communication materials to negotiate agreements with your partner university.

We’ve completed this kind of analysis for MRIs across three states, in each case supporting successful renegotiations with universities.

To sharpen your competitive edge.

We can provide value by:

  • Estimating your competitiveness in winning research grants compared to other MRIs, universities and research organisations, overall or in particular fields, areas of diseases and health topics

  • Calculating your conversion rate of research grants to clinical trials relative to other MRIs

  • Determining your market share of major funding schemes

  • Predicting the success of particular cohorts of researchers in your organisation such as early-to-mid career researchers.

Examples include:

  • Assembling performance monitoring dashboards for the two prominent MRIs in Victoria

  • Conducting a long-term evaluation of a newly-established, $80 million Commonwealth-funded cancer research institute

  • Supporting a leading medical research institute to benchmark senior researchers and model impact of recruiting senior researchers on a NSW Go8 university’s rankings and funding to inform recruitment strategy

Monitor and benchmark your performance

Guide your leadership decisions with rigorous analysis and skilful facilitation.

We can provide value by:

  • Facilitating board, leadership and organisation strategy sessions

  • Analysing needs, strengths and opportunities for your organisation

  • Developing compelling strategies, action plans and communication materials to equip your organisation to achieve strategic priorities and manage change.

Examples include:

  • Assisting a coalition of paediatric health and medical research organisations – including MRIs, universities and Sydney Children’s Hospital Network - to agree on a joint strategy and secure funding from state government for collaboration

  • Acting as a performance and monitoring partner for the Heart Foundation as it worked to establish a more ambitious and longer-term strategy

  • Designing and delivering an organisational strategy retreat for one of Australia’s largest and leading MRIs

Rethink your strategies

Why dandolo

We have successfully supported dozens of MRIs across Australia. That experience gives us a distinctive capability few other consultancies can offer.

We have deep MRI sector experience

  • We’ve worked with MRIs in Victoria, NSW and South Australia, giving us a practical understanding of MRI business models, economics and governance, and the constant need to evidence value.

  • We are able to design analysis and strategies that reflect your realities – not generic consulting frameworks.

We have unique platforms to do high-value analysis

  • Our methodologies - including university-ranking analysis and AI-based matching of research projects to diseases - allow us to benchmark performance and quantify impact with precision and credibility.

  • Our datasets - covering health and medical research projects, government and philanthropic funding, and breakdowns by organisation, researcher, topic and disease - provide an unparalleled evidence base trusted by funders, boards and government.

We understand government and are trusted by funders

  • Our extensive work with government and its agencies means know what evidence resonates with policymakers, funders, and bureaucratic decision makers.

  • We position your institute’s impact in ways that align with government priorities.

We are experts in strategy for your complex environments

  • MRIs operate at the intersection of universities, government, philanthropy and health. We combine rigorous analysis with skilled facilitation to help MRI leaders set priorities and make confident decisions.