Significance of research networking for enhancing collaboration and research productivity (original) (raw)
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International networking. A healthy vehicle for research?
The European Journal of Public Health, 2000
Collaboration between research centres has existed for a long time, but the possibility of obtaining external funding has been an extra motive for centres to participate in international networks. This paper discusses the opportunities and limitations of international networking based upon the case of the CltyHealth Research Network in which the authors participated. They reflect upon the functioning of European networking in practice and highlight aspects that could be Improved. The structure, organization and functioning of the CityHealth Research Network are considered as well as its influence on research output. Furthermore, recommendations are formulated on establishing and implementing a coherent and efficient cross-national research network. It is not a one-sided success story about collaboration between international research teams, but rather a reflection upon the learning experiences and the successes achieved within this network. In general, the complexity of networking between research teams from different countries not only seems to be a challenge for research practice, but It also provides a challenging topic for scientific Inquiry itself.
Sectoral collaboration in biomedical research and development
Scientometrics, 2012
This paper explores the role of sectors in scientific research and development networks by drawing on bibliometric analyses and innovation systems and triple helix literatures. I conducted a bibliometric study of Vancouver Canada's worldwide infection and immunity network and examined network structure through sociograms, social network metrics, as well as relational contingency table and ANOVA network analyses. Universities are the key network sector followed by hospitals and government organisations. The private sector plays a weak role. Most sectors show a preference for collaborating within, as opposed to across, sectors. This trend is most pronounced in hospitals and least pronounced among firms. Hospitals and universities collaborate well above statistical expectations. I discuss the implications of these findings for future science policy and studies of research and development networks.
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Iranian journal of public health, 2013
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Clinical Investigation, 2011
Clinical research can be defined as the generation of new knowledge in the medical field by performing studies that involve patients with a specific disease. The basic steps for the development of a clinical research network are: creation of a steering committee, development of a network core study, establishment of a network coordinating center, delineation of network research opportunities and definition of the publication policy. Models for international collaborations among clinical investigators will continue to emerge as a methodology for performing research on large numbers of subjects. A well-established network is a very effective mechanism in the generation of new knowledge in a particular medical field.
Implementation Science, 2012
Background: The scientific process around cancer research begins with scientific discovery, followed by development of interventions, and finally delivery of needed interventions to people with cancer. Numerous studies have identified substantial gaps between discovery and delivery in health research. Team science has been identified as a possible solution for closing the discovery to delivery gap; however, little is known about effective ways of collaborating within teams and across organizations. The purpose of this study was to determine benefits and drawbacks associated with organizational collaboration across the discovery-development-delivery research continuum. Methods: Representatives of organizations working on cancer research across a state answered a survey about how they collaborated with other cancer research organizations in the state and what benefits and drawbacks they experienced while collaborating. We used exponential random graph modeling to determine the association between these benefits and drawbacks and the presence of a collaboration tie between any two network members. Results: Different drawbacks and benefits were associated with discovery, development, and delivery collaborations. The only consistent association across all three was with the drawback of difficulty due to geographic differences, which was negatively associated with collaboration, indicating that those organizations that had collaborated were less likely to perceive a barrier related to geography. The benefit, enhanced access to other knowledge, was positive and significant in the development and delivery networks, indicating that collaborating organizations viewed improved knowledge exchange as a benefit of collaboration. 'Acquisition of additional funding or other resources' and 'development of new tools and methods' were negatively significantly related to collaboration in these networks. So, although improved knowledge access was an outcome of collaboration, more tangible outcomes were not being realized. In the development network, those who collaborated were less likely to see 'enhanced influence on treatment and policy' and 'greater quality or frequency of publications' as benefits of collaboration. Conclusion: With the exception of the positive association between knowledge transfer and collaboration and the negative association between geography and collaboration, the significant relationships identified in this study all reflected challenges associated with inter-organizational collaboration. Understanding network structures and the perceived drawbacks and benefits associated with collaboration will allow researchers to build and funders to support successful collaborative teams and perhaps aid in closing the discovery to delivery gap.
The RCN (Research Coordination Network) experiment: Can we build new research networks?
2012
The U.S. National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (RCN) program broke new ground in funding the development of new research communities of practice. This assessment of RCN supports the conclusion that networking activity was increased for a sample set of projects compared to a control group. Journal articles resulting from RCN support score as highly interdisciplinary. Moreover, those articles appear as notably influential, being published in high impact journals and being highly cited. The RCN program does indeed seem to be fostering new biological science research networks.
Higher Education, 2011
Organized research units-also known as centers, institutes, and laboratoriesare increasingly prominent in the university. This paper examines how ORUs emerge to promote global agendas and international collaborations in an academic health center in North America. The roles these units play in helping researchers work across institutional and national boundaries are identified and analyzed. The concept of boundary organizations is employed to explain the features of ORUs and the challenges they face. Findings provide insight into how such units operate between local and global mandates, interest groups, and sources of influence, helping to extend university research into the global space.
Cooperation in health: A cluster analysis of 190 research institutions
Journal of Scientometric Research, 2013
Introduction: Webometrics has been recognized as a science with great potential for application in various fields. However, studies in this area are still restricted to the large field of informetrics. Moreover, the debate surrounding the relation between the web and the health field has been dedicated to addressing issues of socioeconomic nature related to universal access and a new division between north and south. Objectives: With the aim of contributing to the broadening of webometrics to other areas of knowledge, this study intends to map on the web, in the light of international cooperation models, relations between major health research institutions. Results: Results showed predominantly thematic groupings, the reflection of a north-south cooperation model and a low expression of relations between institutions of south countries.