Research on Collaboration – RoC

During 2024 the focus has been on laying the foundation for the environment for collaborative research. This includes forming a multidisciplinary Core Team with a professor, two associate professors and two senior lecturers. Additionally, we strengthened the research environment with two visiting professors, prof. Emma Bell from the Open University, UK (funded by the KK-foundation) and prof. Maria Mårtensson, the Linnaeus University, Sweden. Within MDU, the research group has evolved through inviting MDU researchers, teachers and administrative staff to be a part of RoC’s extended family. This means participating in our activities as well as applying for funding to enhance knowledge and knowledge exchange on research on collaboration and co-production. During 2024 we also recruited a Scientific Leader with the support of a recruitment committee consisting of RoC’s project manager and prof. Moris Benham, prof. Lucia Crevani and prof. Andreas Ryve.

RoC has initiated a seed money process which, besides research performed by the Core Team, has funded 13 research projects and initiatives attracting external funding including 20 coworkers (4 at HVV, 2 UKK, 2 EST, 5 IDT). This means all MDU Schools are represented in the ongoing knowledge development on collaboration, and part of the research group.

Research covers a range of topics within RoC’s three focus areas (1) management control and organization (2) impact, results and (un)desired consequences, and (3) theories and innovative methods. Research outputs include five conference papers, a research poster, and a report as well as participation on several relevant research conferences such as; the IRSPM conference in Finland in April, where we also chaired a panel on the topic collaboration; a research workshop on research practice-partnership at the American Education Research Association, USA, in April; the UIIN (University Industry Innovation Network) conference in Spain in May; the XXXV ISPIM Innovation Conference, Estonia in June; the BAM conference, UK in September, the International EIASM Public sector conference in Sweden in September, and the Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership Conference (online), Open University, UK in September.

Since autumn 2024, we have been organizing scientific seminars. We also arrange network meetings and start-up activities. To highlight two; first we held an interdisciplinary research seminar for 25 PhD students from all MDU Schools, focusing on collaborative research, discussed with senior researchers from educational, technical and business research environments. Secondly, an interdisciplinary seminar where three MDU literature reviews concerning research on collaboration were presented, doing comparisons and learning takeaways. This seminar was part of our sparkling 1-year celebration on the 28th of November, including also breakfast, mingle, music and engaging presentations with approximately 70 participants.

Our Community of Practice (CoP) was strengthened by recruiting a coordinator which started planning activities for 2025. During the autumn we started the WeRoCk network (so far about 50 internal and external members) and forward the CoP will be part of the international alliance SUNRISE.

The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) has carried out a thematic evaluation of higher education institutions' collaboration with the surrounding community. In the report from 2024 MDU got appraisal for its ambitions and the ways collaboration is being integrated in activities and working methods. We were proud to be highlighted as one good example (of two) to be inspired and learn from.

Through this work RoC has contributed to MDUs vision and overriding business plan, especially becoming an attractive collaborative partner, doing multidisciplinary research but also the work with attracting external funding.