Jane Frost, CEO MRS Sector and MRS news I Reasons to be cheerful t is always tempting in these febrile times, and surrounded by so much change and frankly appalling news, to talk or write ourselves into a depression. It can be difficult in the short days of winter not to respond to the gloom of dark evenings with our own mood of pessimism. Which is why it is nice to be able to report some positive news about our market. While most people are not expecting market growth in the next 12 months, MRS research published in the Research Live Industry Report 2024 shows there has been an increase in business optimism. The numbers of businesses responding to our survey that predicted business growth reached 50%, while the number predicting business decline fell by more than half. It seems that many of you are confident you have the right product and relationships to succeed in the next year. In the coming year, MRS promises to continue to support you, wherever you are in the sector, to deliver the best research and to build your business or your professional expertise. While many hundreds of thousands of pages were written on the promise or threat of AI last year, MRS delivered practical, authoritative advice and guidance. We delivered new standards AI guidance, an MRS Delphi report with a new framework proposition for the use of AI in research, as well as practical training and a dedicated AI conference this month. This year, we will keep all this guidance and training updated, and continue to drive the support we give for the development of equality, diversity and inclusion in the sector. As spring brings new growth, we will be bringing you radical new developments to the Net Zero Pledge. I look forward to a spring crowded with new, focused as ever on our Annual Conference on 12 March. Happy new year, everyone. Positive Retention Report Published by the MRS People and Talent group, the Positive Retention Report provides inspiration, stimulus and practical prompts to help guide managers and employers on what positive retention best practice looks like in todays insight sector. RAS: equity, diversity and inclusion module A new training module for the Recruiter Accreditation Scheme (RAS) has been developed by MRS and AQR on equity, diversity and inclusion. It is available as an optional module to the core RAS accreditation. MRS Unlimited resources The MRS Unlimited Steering Group has compiled a range of resources to help guide you through disability-inclusive research, including case studies, inclusive research, and workplace practices. Available on mrs.org.uk 51 Impact ISSUE 44 2023_pp50-57_MRS and awardees.indd 51 05/12/2023 12:22