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Research Collaboration
Researchers, especially new researchers, should not work alone. As with many things in life, research is often improved through collaboration. Although many people who submit grants do not submit grants technically defined as “collaborative,” a collaborative feel to any grant will be enormously helpful.
How do I find collaborators to work with?
Collaborators are generally researchers in your field or a related discipline who can complement your skills and expertise. Here are some suggestions for finding possible collaborators:
- Network yourself! Start attending major conferences in your field. (Many offer scholarships for students to attend.) This is an excellent way to learn about other researchers who are interested in similar topics and to share your research interests with others.
- Join professional organizations in your field. In addition to the networking potential, some professional organizations offer other perks, such as discounts to conferences and access to professional publications (organizations that publish journals or monographs often offer discounted subscriptions to members).
- Contact other researchers in your organization or university. Perhaps a colleague from another department is looking for skills like yours to complement his or her own work.
After you have found someone to work with, you will need to formally document your relationship in the grant proposal, both by submitting letters of support from your collaborators and by mentioning them in the text of the proposal. The best place to document a collaboration is in the “Preliminary Studies or Relevant Experience” section.
Remember, when assembling a collaborative team of investigators:
- Choose people you get along with and who will be fun to work with.
- Choose people who can add to your expertise, not copy it.
- Choose people who are not too busy to help you when you need help.
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