Lessons Learned from an Academic, Interdisciplinary, Multi-Campus, Research Collaboration

The formation of productive academic research groups can be difficult, especially in environments without a robust and existing research infrastructure. Idaho and Alaska, are Institutional Development Award (IDeA)-eligible states, historically receiving low levels of funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

We present a case study highlighting an academic research collaboration established across two-disciplines, three-career stages, and three-campuses utilizing distance technology.

One lesson learned from our experiences is that regardless of position (junior or senior faculty) or time at the institution/department (new or established), it is important to reach out to others. Collaborations require conscientious effort to establish and maintain. Second, a psychologically safe space must be created, establishing trust. Lastly, in order to eliminate distractions, optimize team performance, and improve deliverables, the team must have a shared mission. Team members must recognize, appreciate, and fully utilize each other and available resources.

Our experiences and lessons learned can be utilized by others to strengthen opportunities to form and grow interdisciplinary research collaborations and develop a stronger research infrastructure.