A new look for NARI
After 36 years researching ways to make older people’s lives better, the National Ageing Research Institute was due for a facelift.
Above: NARI’s new logo.
By Lillian Radulova
Research into ageing has never looked so new; the 36-year-old National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) has created a fresh look for itself.
The “New Look, New Directions” launch was held this month, to promote NARI’s rebranding which involves a new logo, a new website and new partnerships.
Fundraising and development manager, Kathy Callahan, said it was all about bringing NARI to the public’s attention.
“It’s a way of raising our profile, and if we can raise our profile we can increase the awareness in the broader community of our existence which means we can become well known and ultimately get more support from across the board,” she said.
“We’re the largest and most important ageing institute in Australia and we fly under the radar a bit, so we wanted to hold the launch to blow our own trumpet, so to speak,” the Institute director, David Ames said.
NARI’s new logo includes the institution’s full name as well as the tag line; ‘Bringing research to life’, which according to Ms Callahan, “is key… We wanted something that underpinned everything we do. The research we do directly impacts on people’s lives; it’s not just for the sake of doing research but can be implemented in the community and has real bearings on real people.”
“The existing logo is pale and washed-out-looking and that’s not who we are. We are stronger and more vibrant and energetic than that,” she said.
The rebranding of NARI is also important as it is “representative of forging new partnerships,” said Ms Callahan, which is “part of the organisation growing. It means you have access to greater resources. But, despite these new partnerships we still maintain our independence. NARI has always prided itself on that, there’s no one pulling our strings.”
The other major changes will include NARI’s website which will be easier to navigate and include a new feature; an online payment portal, making it possible for donations to be made online.
However despite these changes, Mr Ames clarified that NARI’s aims remain the same.
“Our aim continues to be high quality research, but a lot of the time the knowledge gained from research takes a long time to come into effect. We do have a number of people who offer financial support in a charitable way which we appreciate, but we can only do what we can do with the funding.”
To the delight of NARI, 100 people attended the event to hear the series of talks which addressed the importance of ageing research, the history and achievements of NARI, the need for collaboration to progress and the equal importance of social research to medical research.
Speakers at the Melbourne event included The Victorian Minister for Health and Ageing, David Davis; the Vice Chancellor and researcher at the University of Melbourne, Professor James McCluskey; and NARI director, Professor David Ames.
Although NARI is still in discussion with the University of Melbourne about the specifics and changes are still being negotiated with other research groups, Mr Ames is confident about the launch’s outcomes, including the supportive speech by Mr Davis which demonstrated political support for the institute.
