Designing and Developing 32 Coordinating Centers as Infrastructure to Support Team Science

Abstract

In this chapter, I share results from my NCI-funded research on the role of Coordinating Centers (CCs) in collaborative, coordinated networks. The aim of this study was to describe the work a CC does, as well as to identify those aspects of the CC infrastructure that influenced how scientists collaborated and that impacted scientific outcomes of the project, in the hopes of beginning to develop necessary best practices. Drawing upon this work, as well as my own experience building and managing multiple CCs, I propose three design elements that should be addressed as funding agencies and research teams consider how best to design, develop, and evaluate coordinated networks for maximum collaboration, efficiency, and effectiveness: (1) clarity of roles and responsibilities; (2) a funding structure that requires collaborative work; and (3) the inclusion of a scientific role for the CC.