If you are wondering if a collaboration is right for your research, take a look at the benefits these researchers have told us about:
- New methodologies, knowledge or techniques, enabling you to tackle larger, more complex challenges. Take a look at the growing number of authors on papers, or the themes of large funding calls, to see why this is important.
- Disciplinary boundaries are often where the exciting challenges lie.
- Access to equipment, datasets, communities, industry or knowledge exchange partners.
- New and diverse perspectives, leading to more creative ideas and breakthroughs. Good collaborators will provide support through times of challenge as well as mentoring and honest critique, feedback and debate to push the boundaries of thinking in a project.
- Enhanced professional networks and reputation, perhaps leading to new research questions and future collaborations, opportunities or recommendations.
- Access to funding streams which require a particular type of partner.
- The opportunity to learn from others on how to manage bigger projects.
- Demonstrate your research independence from your current PI.
- Diversify your research portfolio, so all your eggs aren’t in one basket (this can be crucial where funding in particular areas is scarce).
- It’s fun!
Hear from GW4 researchers from a range of disciplines on the reasons why they collaborate and how bringing in different perspectives and communities really strengthens the work and its potential to have impact, leading to something which is greater than the sum of its parts.
I’m keen, what do I need to think about?
Think about why you might find collaboration valuable at this stage in your career. Ask yourself how much time you can commit to a collaborative project, and whether this time is allowed within your current project or contract.
Don’t be put off by how long it takes to establish trust and set things up properly –start small, and learn how to navigate different working styles and administrative systems of more than one institution.
Think about the purpose of the collaboration you would like to create. In particular:
- The questions you would like to address.
- The communities or end users you might want to work with.
- Whether you are open to both blue sky and applied research projects.
- What matters to you in ‘how’ the research is conducted, as well as the final outputs? For example, do you have strong feelings on open research?
- What skills, networks and experience might be valuable for you in your next career stage?
- Whether other researchers know your name, and whether others (supervisors etc.) might be able to advocate on your behalf.
Think about your research vision and what you want from your career, and perhaps talk it through with a mentor.
If you don’t feel your name is well-known enough for others to want to collaborate with you, it could be worth devoting some time to making yourself more visible and ‘findable’.
With these thoughts in mind, you will be better equipped to conduct an individual ‘time / career cost-benefit analysis’ for any potential collaboration.
