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Posted on: 19/03/2021

Meet the Team: Bridget Mellifont, Community Manager

bridgetI’m so glad to introduce myself as your Community Manager, explain a bit more about what that means and how my role has been designed with you in mind.

I come from a policy background, both in government and in higher education. Partly this has meant building policy that affects researchers, and at times it has meant breaking complex policy down to find out who really benefits. Through this, I discovered a passion for building good research culture, and making sure that researchers are provided with everything they need to be changemakers for research and innovation.

When our partners met last year to discuss what our Network could represent and what it could deliver, one central point kept coming up again and again: the Network and our activities should be FLF-led, and it should be reflexive and responsive to your needs and your goals.

It’s one thing to say this at the outset of a programme, it’s another to embed this into our design and delivery. At the forefront of our minds is the knowledge that the FLF and innovator cohort come from diverse backgrounds, with different experiences, and have different ambitions. So we came up with the idea of ‘tailored coherence’.

  • On the one hand, we’ll provide you with a range of courses which, from our combined experience of working with researchers, we believe can support your development.
  • On the other hand, we are completely invested in responding to your needs – if you want to learn more about complex finances in large scale grants or how to engage with public and political leaders, we will make those opportunities available.

Behind both of these is the information we (and you) will glean from the 360 feedback programme, our mentoring programme, and the Plus Funds pot.

This is where I come in – I’m your ‘one-stop shop’, your pathway into the Network. If you’ve thought of training that you’ll find useful, I can actively pursue that for you. If your 360 feedback or your mentoring partnership reveal areas where you might need further development, I will work with you to identify the best delivery method and put that into place. If you’re at a stage in your development where you need access to a broader network of industry professionals or public figures, I can reach out through our four-nation partnership to help you create those relationships. If you really want to take your skills from the development stage to putting them into action, I will work with you and our Network to create those opportunities.

In my mind, I’m your advocate, your voice in the Network. We designed this programme for you, so it’s essential that we continue to serve your best interests. If something isn’t working well – whether you can’t find a course that fits with your goals, or if you see a chance to build your skills in a new and exciting way – I’m here to help you.

In the coming months, I’ll be getting in touch with each of you individually to see how we can continue to tailor our outputs to your needs and deliver a coherent training and development programme for each of you. In the meantime, feel free to contact me via our email address (hello@flfdevnet.com) with any questions, requests or interests you have.

I’m really looking forward to working with each of you over the next three years!

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