2016 UAA Annual Conference

In STEM fields more than 90% of research is conducted through collaborative partnerships, networks and co-authorship. Collaboration arises as single authors are challenged to access expensive equipment, data or face complex questions that require resource sharing or specialized knowledge. In the social sciences, this collaborative imperative is becoming more apparent as researchers partner with practitioners from both the non-profit and the for-profit world to respond to multifaceted social issues. Studies that compare practices across international boundaries and engage researchers and practitioners ultimately require individuals to relate to one another across culture, language, professional practices, and research expectations. Although the benefits of international research teams and networks of experts are clear, collaboration across international boundaries and those that also traverse disciplines and industry, create challenges and pitfalls. Once funding agencies enter into the mix, the relationships between researchers, practitioners, the core organizing team and those on the fringe become more contested. Multi-institutional collaborations can bring together stronger, more intellectually robust teams of researchers but also can create challenges around building effective communication networks that can transcend language and culture. We are engaged in first of its kind collaborative project that engages researchers from Canada, the U.S. and Europe, as well as nonprofit practitioners and funders under the umbrella of multi-year Canadian government grant to compare the role of Canadian foundations to those in the U.S., the UK, France, New Zealand, Italy, and Sweden. The questions we seek to answer include: • How can we develop a structure for collaboration that responds to language and cultural differences? • What are the frameworks needed to develop a common understanding of the research process and outcomes? • Furthermore, how does the team evaluate its collaborative relationships as they impact the project’s research agenda?