Negotiation stations

Tread carefully to secure a project extension

With the Covid-19 pandemic leaving many research projects in a precarious positions, having strong negotiation skills has perhaps never been so important. Researchers are asking funders for extensions, renegotiating disrupted collaborations, and even having to set up quick-turnaround partnerships for rapid-response projects.

Melissa Davies has 20 years’ experience as an independent negotiator and consultant, including running negotiation training for researchers at the European Molecular Biology Organization. From 2010 to 2015, she was head of partnerships and development at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics.