Model for collaborative research among international transport researchers

- A hybrid model of collaborative research that highlights institutional partnerships, research team collaborations, and individual researcher interactions is offered as a point of departure for understanding necessary characteristics of successful collaborative research efforts.
- Formal institutional arrangements need to be in place to identify the priority research needs of the transportation sector collaboratively among program participants.
- Institutional agreements need to provide overall guidance on research program and project administration, that is, what is allowed, required project management reporting, and desired deliverables.
- Role models of effective team research efforts should be available to illustrate the characteristics of successful international team collaborations, especially those have multi-disciplinary components.
- Opportunities for collaborative research should be broadly disseminated and potential research partners identified.

This paper examines the nature of collaborative international research in transportation. A comparison is made between research themes, problems, and challenges identified by the European Union and the U.S. Department of Transportation, and similarities among the research themes is highlighted. A definition of collaboration is next offered and the implications of this definition on collaborative approaches to research are explored. Different models of collaborative research are identified from health and education research, and the lessons learned from these models are applied to international transportation research. A hybrid model of collaborative research that highlights institutional partnerships, research team collaborations, and individual researcher interactions is offered as a point of departure for understanding necessary characteristics of successful collaborative research efforts. The paper then recommends actions and strategies for fostering such research. These recommendations focus on actions at the institutional, research team and individual researcher levels.