Malte Hückstädt

Collaborations in research, whether between organizations, across disciplines or across national borders, are a major trend in science. They generate synergy effects and often make innovative research projects possible in the first place. At the same time, collaborations between sometimes very different partners face not inconsiderable risks which, in the worst case, can lead to the common goals not being achieved. In the workshop "What makes research collaborations successful?" empirical findings on the causes and coping strategies of cooperation problems will be presented and discussed together with actors from the field.

Increasing interorganizational, national and international, and inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration is a megatrend in science. It has become an essential part of knowledge production, being associated with various advantages. However, scientific collaboration is also facing manifold challenges, e.g. transaction costs, trust, power struggles etc. The question arises how collaboration is possible under conditions of prevailing competition in science. The one-day workshop brought together scholars that study the practices, outcomes, and effects of collaboration from different perspectives and with different methodological approaches.