    INTRO
  

From knowledge to impact.

Third Epoch helps nature and climate research leaders move from knowledge to impact — clarifying strategy, building the right partnerships, and translating research into outcomes that funders, policymakers and businesses can act on.

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TWIN CAPABILITIES

Knowledge and implementation working in synergy.

BUILT BY

Deep scientific and research expertise, shaped by industry

Built for

Leading researchers and programme managers driven by impact.

      THE MODEL
    

One practice, two core capabilities in synergy.

01 KNOWLEDGE

Intellectual infrastructure for sustainability transitions.

Cutting-edge knowledge products — rigorous research, evidence-based frameworks, thought leadership and tools that funders, policymakers and businesses can act on.

02 IMPLEMENTATION

Deployment of insight where robust evidence and judgement matter.

Hands-on deployment in complex, contested environments — turning credible expertise and IP into strategy, partnerships and demonstrated impact.

    APPROACH
  

We move beyond advice and reports to useable structure.

We do not offer narrow technical solutions. We hold the full view — across science, policy, finance and practice — and help clients build the intellectual architecture they need to achieve engagement, impact and funding.

Build intellectual architecture

We help clients develop the IP, evidence-base, and impact logic they need to engage, influence and win funding over time.

Translate across worlds

We operate fluently across research, institutional strategy, business and policy — building the bridges that turn knowledge into real-world decisions.

Challenge thinking

We provide intellectual challenge and alternative perspectives — helping clients test assumptions and strategies and avoid costly mistakes.

Design systemic solutions

We hold the full view across science, policy, finance and practice, and help clients identify strategies that connect and catalyse.

    WHO WE HELP
  

Credible expertise, held back by the system around it.

The people we work with hold credible expertise on urgent problems — but institutional, organisational, political and financial pressures make it hard to turn that expertise into change.

Make the institute distinctive, fundable and impactful.

We help research institutes clarify their strategic niche, build credible partnerships and turn nature and climate expertise into fundable, real-world impact — within a challenging financial context.

How we help

Institute strategy refresh

Clarifies purpose, niche, value proposition and priority themes.

Fundable proposition development

Turns broad ambition into funder-ready concepts.

Partnership strategy

Identifies which external relationships matter, and why.

Nature / climate opportunity scan

Positions the institute around emerging policy, business and funding needs.

Advisory for a flagship initiative

Provides flexible senior capacity without hiring.

Deliver promised impact, credibly and on time.

We help funded research programmes turn promised impact into credible strategies, stakeholder engagement and policy- and business-facing outputs — with limited time and a complex consortium.

How we help

Expert delivery

Converts bid commitments into practical, rigorous outputs — and provides external cover.

Evidence-to-action synthesis

Turns research findings into usable insight for policy, business or funders.

Stakeholder & use-case mapping

Clarifies who the programme needs to influence, and how.

Exploitation / uptake plan

Built for Horizon-style programme requirements.

Policy / business translation

Helps the consortium communicate beyond academia.

Workshop design & facilitation

Gives structure to messy interdisciplinary conversations.

Turn scattered research into credible, fundable impact.

We help research impact teams turn promising nature and climate research into credible impact pipelines, partner strategies and evidence that can support funding, REF and institutional credibility.

How we help

Impact pipeline review

Identifies which nature and climate projects have credible routes to future case studies, partnerships or funding.

Impact strategy sprint

Gives a faculty, institute or theme a coherent plan to take to senior leadership.

Partner & stakeholder mapping

Solves the "who do we engage, and why?" problem.

Evidence-to-impact framework

Helps academics and research managers capture evidence earlier.

REF case-study development

Proactively build and deliver evidence of impact.

    ABOUT
  

Dr James MacPherson

Founder, Third Epoch

James helps research leaders, institutions and programmes turn credible expertise into fundable strategies, effective partnerships and demonstrated impact.

He is a thinking partner and intellectual architect for people trying to do genuinely hard things in complex, contested environments — someone who can hold the systemic view while helping them act. His work spans technical delivery, research translation, partnership development, and institutional capacity building, with specialist domain expertise in natural capital, agrifood, bioeconomy and the built environment.