Abstract

Transnational collaborations are sometimes a requirement for a funding opportunity, and other times they add the advantage necessary for a successful proposal. These partnerships can be incredibly enriching. It can take years for researchers to develop such relationships, and part of our job as RMAs is to help implement and sustain them. However, transnational collaborations can also offer a unique set of challenges, and rare is the RMA who has navigated these waters without hitting a few speedbumps.

Are you an administrator who has requested information that legally can’t be shared from a partner in another country? Have you been given a completely unrealistic deadline from a clueless partner? Did you submit a proposal with little understanding of the complexities of implementing it in a country far away? Or maybe you are about to begin a new collaboration and want to get off on the right foot. If any of this applies, this discussion table is for you!

I am a RMA with thirteen years experience working with institutions around the world. I can attest to the challenges inherent in this line of work. In this fifteen minute discussion table, I’d like to offer attendees a chance to open up about some of their mishaps and the lessons they have learned from them. If participants are hesitant to share, I will get the ball rolling by offering in two minutes a few obstacles I’ve encountered, and my top tips on how to avoid similar situations. I ask participants to come prepared with examples of challenges encountered (no naming names, please!) and the solutions found that could be useful to other RMAs. The goal is to allow more streamlined and sustainable international partnerships in the future, hopefully paving the way for further collaborations both for our researchers and for the RMA community internationally.