Communities of Practice, Supporting Research Administration in Australia using web 2.0 technologies

Collaboration is the catch-cry of the modern research effort. Researchers are encouraged to collaborate to build research teams of critical mass that successfully leverage knowledge expertise and resources and improve the chances of funding success. As facilitators of the research and innovation chain, research administrators encourage collaborative that increasingly transcends disciplinary and national boundaries. The 'publish or perish' mantra has a new parallel: 'collaborate or perish'. The challenge for research administrators is to consider how the principles of collaboration equally apply to our community. We operate in an environment where resources are scarce, compliance and reporting demands are increasing, measures of quality and international ranking are paramount and managing the true cost of research is a key business driver. Working across boundaries is becoming an everyday reality for the research services professional. The question now, is collaboration the answer for the research administrator and, if so, how will the collaborative process be supported?