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SNIS Research Reports

The Afterlife of Academic Research Projects - A Primer
Publication Date: 
18.09.2012

What happens to academic research projects once they reach conclusion? Are the publications, websites and conferences they give rise to the end all of the efforts invested in their realization, or do they continue to exist in different forms, such as continued cooperation between project members, development of new projects, perpetration of their results and practices?

The study commissioned by SNIS, and authored by Dr. Maria-Ruxandra Stoicescu, “The Afterlife of Academic Research Projects – A primer”, looks into five instances in which academic research projects funded by the Geneva International Academic Network continued to exist and develop after their formal conclusion.

The analysis identified five indicators most often present in projects that continued their existence after their formal conclusion:

  • dissemination strategy, events
  • another project derived from the initial one
  • institutionalisation and thus consolidation of the project strategies and aims in further actions
  • elaboration and perpetuation of practices in the given area of research
  • further use of the materials and tools elaborated as part of the project
  • further collaboration between team members and institutions of the initial project

The indicator most often encountered was a dissemination strategy of results and the organization of further events related to the project. The indicator most seldom encountered was further collaboration between team members and institutions of the initial project. This later finding points to the vulnerable feature of cooperative research projects in international studies.

The report also suggests a set of elements to be taken into account in the evaluation of project proposals in international studies and in addressing issues of project continuation after formal conclusion.
Source File: 
application/pdf iconthe_afterlife_of_academic_research_projects.pdf

SNIS Research Report - Patterns of Collaboration between Academia and International Organizations
Publication Date: 
05.09.2012

 

This study, commissioned by the Swiss Network of International Studies and authored by Dr. Maria Ruxandra Stoicescu, constitutes a map-out of the encounters between International Organisations (IOs) and Academia, as they occur in the different forms of collaboration that bring these two communities together. As the report details, collaboration between academia and international organisations occurs at various levels and stages. Contrary to what one might expect, the different forms of collaboration do not arise naturally and are mostly based on proximity or funding. The report highlights that individual and institutional purposeful efforts are crucial in initiating and maintaining collaborations.

The report features following key findings:

  • There are five categories of collaboration, from the least to most intense as follows : the provision of expert knowledge, the consultancy, teaching and training programmes, project-based collaboration, and institutional collaboration. One form of collaboration might lead to another.
  • None of these forms arise naturally, based on proximity or funding, which are necessary but not sufficient conditions for collaborations. Individual and institutional purposeful efforts are crucial in initiating and maintaining collaborations.
  • Coincidence of interests and research agendas are sine qua non conditions for successful collaborations.
  • Informal relationships are just as important as formal ones in advancing collaborations.
Source File: 
application/pdf iconsnis_research_report-patterns_of_collaboration.pdf