A so-called ‘collaborative turn’ and ‘research collaboration revolution’ is transforming contemporary scientific knowledge production and related practices. Collaborative research has a high reputation both within and outside the scientific community; it has been increasingly promoted by science policies, and by national and international funding agencies and foundations in the last few decades in a context of the increasing dependence of research on competitive external grant funding. Such transformations shift the nature of collaboration more and more from informal collaborations without funding, or with institutional funding, to formal collaborations with project funding. Thus, conducting collaborative research today means to a considerable extent to design, launch, and carry out research in the form of a project, characterized by defined goals and tasks, a limited duration, short-term planning, and often with specifically dedicated resources. 

Thus, Anna Kosmützky’s and Romy Wöhlert’s contribution to the workshop “Benefits and challenges of collaboration in research. Investigating the manifold aspects of mono-, inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration” organized by the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW), the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, and The Stifterverband focuses on collaborative research in the organizational form of research projects. It provides a conceptualization of collaborative research projects as temporary organizations, distinguishes different forms, discusses their research conditions and challenges, and makes suggestions for further research.

The workshop will take place online, Nov, 4th 2021.