Agile in the Management of Scientific Research Collaborations

Abstract

Abstract Multidisciplinary scientific research collaborations in academic institutions remain at the center of the global innovation system. This article highlights the distinct challenges to developing an effective management strategy that such collaborations pose. These include the fundamental challenge of having the generation of new explicit knowledge as an objective and the integration of established research teams including their respective bodies of tacit knowledge. The parallels between established Agile strategies and a proposed management strategy that addresses these challenges are discussed. By considering the contextual framework for the proposed management strategy and identifying the traditional and Agile components, this article aims to provide a generalized approach that a project management professional can use to develop an effective integrated management strategy for project, program and knowledge management in scientific research collaborations that is based on recognized techniques.