Strategic advisory services

Navigate complex challenges with clarity and confidence

Big ideas and bold initiatives need more than a good plan—they need the right strategy to back them. At Straight Up, we help research institutions, government agencies, and science-driven businesses cut through complexity, get clear on their direction, and move forward with confidence.

Whether you're launching a multi-partner project, setting up a new centre, or shaping a long-term communications plan, our strategic advisory services are designed to help you make smart decisions—and bring others along for the journey.

When you might need strategic support

Our clients often come to us with important questions like:

• How do we design this project to actually work—not just in theory?

• Who do we need on board, and how do we bring them with us?

• How do we align everyone around a shared goal or direction?

• What’s our strategy for funding, engagement, or long-term impact?

We work with teams at different stages—whether you're still shaping your idea or deep into delivery and needing a fresh perspective.

Our approach

At Straight Up, we blend technical understanding with communication strategy to help you make decisions that are not only smart—but practical, engaging, and built for real-world conditions.

We don’t arrive with a cookie-cutter model. Instead, we work closely with you to:

• Develop actionable strategies that reflect your goals, constraints and stakeholders

• Facilitate internal alignment so that teams, departments and partners are working towards the same outcomes

• Translate technical detail into strategic insights—so decision-makers can see the big picture and the next step

• Design engagement frameworks that bring the right people to the table and keep them there

• Advise on funding pathways, policy environments and partnership structures

We're known for being collaborative, fast on the uptake, and focused on getting the plan off the page and into action.

Why work with us?

We’ve supported strategy development for a wide range of organisations—across science, sustainability, innovation, public health, and more. Whether you’re shaping a new institute, designing a stakeholder engagement strategy, or mapping a funding plan, we bring:

• A sharp eye for the details that matter

• A knack for simplifying complexity

• A whole-of-project view that keeps both ambition and delivery in sight

Our clients tell us we’re the team they call when they need clarity, structure, and straight-up advice that’s actually useful.

Let’s build something that works

Whether you're starting something new or need help steering something mid-flight, our strategic advisory services can help you get aligned, get moving, and get results. Book a chat with our team by completing the form below.