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When it makes sense to bring Helikon Labs in.

A plain-language guide to our four engagement layers: what each one includes, when each one fits, what they cost, and what they don't cover. No sales call required to read it.

University-industry partnership problems fall into a predictable project lifecycle. That’s the central claim of The Helikon Method, the framework Helikon Labs uses across every consulting engagement, and it’s also why we’re willing to publish the price of almost everything we do. If your problem fits a pattern, the engagement should be scoped against the pattern, not custom-bid from scratch.

The guide walks through four engagement layers.

Layer 1

Office Hours

Hourly advisory in prepaid blocks, drawn down as you use them. For small organizations, single research groups, early-stage startups, and individual partnership officers who need senior expertise without a project commitment. You can buy it directly, no scoping call required.

Layer 2

Pre-Scoped Sprints

Fixed-scope, fixed-fee engagements that run three to eight weeks. Eight sprints in total. Each ships a configured Helikon Method tool as part of the deliverables. Sprint pricing is in the guide.
Match phase
  • Researcher Engagement
  • Partnership Readiness Implementation
  • Ecosystem Mapping
  • Managed Partner Search and Setup
Steward and Evaluate phases
  • Technology Portfolio Evaluation
  • AI Research Tools
  • Performance and Analytics
  • Open-Science Governance

Layer 3

Tiered Consulting

Multi-month engagements that span two or more Helikon Method phases. Tier pricing is in the guide.
  • Bronze Project. A ninety-day engagement focused on one specific problem area.
  • Bronze Retainer. An ongoing advisory relationship on annual terms.
  • Silver. A six-month engagement to redesign a partnership portfolio or launch a new program.
  • Gold. A twelve-month strategic retainer for executive teams treating partnerships as a multi-year program.

Layer 4

Outsourced Partnership Management

We run the partnership-management function, in part or in whole, for a multi-year term, while you keep ownership of the research and the relationships.

The published prices in the guide are real. They aren’t opening positions. If a layer is the wrong order of magnitude for your problem, the best outcome of a scoping call is that you find that out before the call, not after. We’d rather you know now than discover it after we’ve spent an hour on the phone.

The guide also includes three illustrative scenarios, and a one-page framing of what a 30-minute scoping conversation actually covers.

Helikon Labs’ consulting practice is built on more than 18 years of experience across the R&D-to-commercialization lifecycle and primary research on the digital transformation of university-industry collaborations. Engagements use the four-phase Helikon Method, developed from our research.

Helikon Labs is not a law firm. Where engagements involve contracted relationships, we coordinate with the client’s qualified legal counsel. We do not provide legal advice on contract terms, enforceability, or compliance.

Want to build the skills with your team?

Our half-day and full-day workshops are worked through live with your team, together with our help, and each one includes one of our tools as pre-work.

Compare all workshops

Have questions, not a project?

Office Hours is hourly advisory in prepaid blocks. You can buy without a scoping call, and a block is valid for 12 months.

See Office Hours pricing and buy a block

Thinking about a sprint, a tiered engagement, or outsourced management?

Download the guide for full details and pricing, then book a free 30-minute scoping call. The call maps your situation to the appropriate layer of services.

Book a 30-minute scoping call