Research Collaboration
Connect with other researchers via our forums and online messaging system
With the global research environment becoming ever more complex and demanding, establishing external and international collaborations is rapidly turning into a key skill for researchers.
Through AuthorAID, we have heard about the increasingly important need for more networks and better linkages between researchers, and particularly those looking for international collaborators on specific and unique issues. In a survey of members we carried out in 2017, the majority of AuthorAID researchers identified that they need help and support in finding collaborators. They want to collaborate with a wide range of other researchers and stakeholders, both in-country and internationally, in their own subject area and in multi-disciplinary work, and they are looking for collaborators with skills in writing, applying for funding, and international experience.
Respondents also mentioned that there needed to be more space for thematic discussions around collaboration topics, and a more interactive platform that allowed researchers to post details of their research and/or funding, and ask for collaborators.
The AuthorAID Google Groups discussion forum offers an opportunity for researchers to post details of their research projects and put out a request for collaborators. This allows for more public interaction and networking around research and funding opportunities. Members can also start optional private discussions through AuthorAID’s existing mentoring and collaboration messaging system:
Search the AuthorAID network for researchers
Are you looking for a research partner or someone to discuss your work? Perhaps you are simply looking for a bit of advice or the opinion of someone in your field. With a network of over 17,000 researchers from around the world, we're sure you will be able to find what you are looking for.
Call for collaborators on our Google Groups forum
The AuthorAID Google Groups is an open forum for researchers to network and find collaborators around the globe. Look for collaboration opportunites or post details of your own research project. Also regularly updated with useful resources and tips on collaboration
We hope this new forum will provide better support to academics and researchers in our community who often struggle to find collaborators and funding opportunities for their research projects.
The importance of international collaboration in research
So why collaborate?
- Finding collaborators can help access new and innovative approaches to problem-solving, according to AuthorAID mentor and facilitator Richard De Grijs: “It is also a great way to establish a worldwide network of colleagues with a variety of backgrounds—scientific, cultural, or otherwise.”
- Research collaboration can also offer many practical benefits, according to Elsevier’s Dr. Nick Fowler because it: “enables researchers in institutions to access resources beyond their own, especially funding, talent and equipment. Doing so enables leverage and allows them to magnify the benefits of their own inputs and maximize their own outputs and outcomes.”
- Finally, a recent PLOS One paper by Ebadi and Schiffauerova highlighted the crucial role of research collaboration and networking for securing research funding. Building your collaboration networking is perhaps more important than how many publications and citations you have! (link)
It is our hope that the new forums provide this space and potential to seed discussion around research collaborations that can attract funding, develop innovative ideas, and solve global development problems.