With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic accelerating the inevitable switch to remote or hybrid models of working, companies are now more likely to turn to freelance industry experts for various business needs. Infact, data from Kolabtree shows an increase in demand for specific freelance industry experts, such as medical and regulatory writers. With smaller and medium sized companies more keen to hire contractual workers on the back of the remote working trend, freelancers have grown in popularity exponentially in the last couple of years.
The biggest talking point, however, is the emergence of a unique group of industry experts, mostly belonging to academia, research and scholarly backgrounds, venturing into the freelancing world. These scientists and subject matter experts are highly sought after for their unique knowledge and expertise, and are increasingly choosing to offer this expertise on-demand, picking and choosing what clients and projects to work on. This enables them to lead a healthy lifestyle of their choice, have flexible schedules and enjoy their work more.
It’s good news for companies too, as this trend presents unique benefits to clients hiring freelance industry experts for these projects. Although companies have traditionally used the agency middle man route to seek expert consultants on-demand, accessing these freelance scientists directly offers myriad advantages.
Direct access to a global expanse of niche talent
Unlike traditional middle-men agencies that put you through to specific industry experts on their books, Kolabtree offers businesses direct access to independent freelancers, all of whom take up projects unique and relevant to their skill-set and expertise. This provides clients a chance to have multiple conversations with the freelancer, vet them thoroughly for the project and discuss terms with them before deciding to collaborate on the platform.
Another benefit this method offers is the fact that clients get access to the best minds across the world. With more academic scholars and industry experts gravitating towards freelancing for a bit of variety and industrial experience, clients have the chance to pick and choose from the world’s best minds under one roof.
This also presents an opportunity for businesses looking for esoteric skill-sets to find the precise expertise they’re looking for. Some of Kolabtree’s successful past collaborations have included niche projects such as a food scientist being hired to help formulate a vegan egg recipe, and a materials scientist helping a medical device company develop a new oxygen concentrator.
Read more on how to hire a freelancer on Kolabtree.
Test Ideas in a cost-effective way
Another massive advantage of hiring freelance industry experts is the cost-effective angle. Companies operating in the science, medicine and biotech domains are constantly innovative, and need top-end personnel to test ideas and take them to the development stage. Here’s where smaller companies face a huge constraint. A full time scientist is a highly expensive resource to scout, hire and on-board within the company. In addition, these companies might only need these personnel for a short period of time, and might not be able to afford to hire them in-house and pay them steady salaries.
Here’s where freelance scientists play a major role. Businesses can collaborate with them on very flexible schedules, and rehire them during the next phase of the project. This provides both client and freelancer with a win-win situation, cutting costs for the company whilst enabling them to re-innovate and test ideas, and providing freelancers with recurring high-impact projects to add to their CV.
For instance, businesses can hire medical writers for as low as $50/hour, medical device consultants for around $40 to $70/hour and data analysts for around $60/hour on Kolabtree.
Protect your intellectual property in a secure ecosystem
1. Extensive vetting process
A huge by-product of freelance platforms is the large number of bot accounts and spam profiles lying around. Kolabtree weeds this out at the first step of verification, requiring scientists, academics and industry experts to undergo an extensive verification process that includes double checking their contact details, academic credentials, research publication history and work experience. This ensures a clean platform that contains authentic scientists and subject matter experts.
2. Stringent NDA’s
In addition, Kolabtree has extensive guidelines and procedures to ensure that the client retains complete ownership of their intellectual property. Kolabtree also insists on stringent T&C and NDAs that the client can request the freelancer to sign before initiating the project. Clients also have the freedom to modify the terms and conditions to suit their organization’s custom conditions, personalizing them to suit their requirements.
3. Payment Protection
Kolabtree also provides complete payment protection, only releasing the client’s money to the freelancer once the project has been successfully completed and approved by the client. A refund can also be demanded if the client is not happy with the outcome of the project. Kolabtree provides this satisfaction guarantee safe in the knowledge that its freelancers possess enough expertise to deliver impeccable work in line with each client’s unique requirements.
Ready to hire? Post a project for free or browse through our vast network of independent scientific freelancers.