Evaluating Performance of Collaborative Research Networks

Managing knowledge and advancing innovation in science involves the partnering of geographically dispersed and institutionally distinct actors. However, the capacity to evaluate performance of these research networks is lagging the adoption of the collaborative model. This book presents a novel framework that combines social network analysis with a series of descriptive and relational indicators to longitudinally assess three phases of the collaborative process. The study, in particular, explores the impact of network structure on productivity. Two federally funded research projects, each distinct in terms of structure, are assessed. One network is self-organized, funded outright with no government intervention. The other, however, is deemed imposed with a strong government hand in the network structure. Results suggest that a history of collaborative activity amongst network actors is positively correlated with future performance and network structure does, in fact, impact network-based productivity. This book is a useful resource for project managers, managing scientists as well as program developers in government agencies that advocate and support research.