Kolabtree, the online platform for freelance scientists, has surpassed 10,000 registered freelancers. The company said following this milestone achievement the platform is better equipped than ever before to enable access to the specialist skills required for projects, such as analysing data, designing a clinical trial, helping with regulatory approval or scientific writing. These skills help businesses to develop new products, conduct robust research and grow their businesses.
Launched in 2015, Kolabtree is an on-demand marketplace that connects businesses with highly qualified scientists and academics.
With the aim of making scientific expertise easily accessible, Kolabtree helps organisations hire experts on demand. Each month, over 400 projects that require the skills of a specialist are posted on the platform.
Businesses simply enter their requirements and receive quotes from qualified freelancers, usually within 24 hours. Over 2,500 businesses have successfully completed projects with the help of Kolabtree’s global network of freelance experts.
“Access to specialist skills used to be a privilege reserved for large companies with extensive budgets,” explained Ashmita Das, Kolabtree CEO. “As our pool of freelancers increases, we will be able to match the skills of the freelancer even more precisely with the requirements of a project," she added.
Das pointed out that as the gig economy sweeps across industries, it’s clear that highly skilled knowledge workers have a role to play. She explained: “In a time of uncertainty, Kolabtree provides access to these skills by removing the financial, political and geographic barriers."
The pool of freelancers includes scientists from NASA, MIT, the University of Cambridge and more
For Das, Kolabtree’s global database of highly skilled PhD scientists "also proves that the gig economy and freelance work can only be a positive for the scientific community".
Interdisciplinary scientists
Scientists on Kolabtree are from a range of traditional and interdisciplinary disciplines, ranging from scientists who specialise in medical statistics, to neuroscientists who are experts in mathematical modelling.
The pool of freelancers includes scientists from NASA, MIT, the University of Cambridge and more. Kolabtree’s freelancers, more than 60% of whom hold PhDs, are either independent consultants, experienced scientists or early career researchers looking to supplement their full-time roles with part-time work.
With an increase of 150% in freelancer registrations on Kolabtree from 2018-2019, there is a clear interest among the research community to go freelance and collaborate with industries across borders.
Case studies
Kolabtree receives about 400 projects a month from businesses of all sizes, ranging from global companies like Volkswagen to one-person startups.
Recently, on behalf of UK flat-sharing website SpareRoom, PR agency CowPR hired a freelance mathematician to help solve how Ross could have got the sofa up the stairs in the infamous “Pivot” episode of Friends.
Another US-based medical device company was able to find a freelance medical writer, who helped put together the regulatory documents required for the launch of its product. In both these instances, there was a one-off requirement for a specialist. Businesses can save up to 50% of costs by hiring a freelancer or consultant instead of hiring a full-time expert in-house.
“The quality of experts available has been high and we have typically found selection, bidding and hiring to be effortless," said Alex Lucio, executive vice president at 3B Medical, who used Kolabtree to work with medical writers. "All of the consulting projects that we have bid out and placed through Kolabtree were successful and the quality of work was exceptional," he concluded.