The Importance of Organizational Capacities for Collaborative Research: Boundary Crossings Within a Swedish Research-Practice Partnership

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: Cultivating and Refining Partnerships (Table 7)

Abstract

This study aims to explore why two comparable municipalities within a Swedish research-practice partnership (RPP) differed in their success in the partnership’s core activities: calls for funding for collaborative research in education. An interview study was conducted with officials in the two municipalities—similar in size, education achievement, socio-economic standard, and political steering—on how the internal municipal organization was set up and how the RPP initiative was docked into the organization. The interviews were analyzed using the framework of absorptive capacity and boundary infrastructure. Preliminary results indicate that pre-existing networks of persons, practices, and objects were crucial for success in the calls. This study contributes to the expanding literature on partners’ strategies to address emerging challenges of research-practice partnerships.

Authors

• Maria K. Jarl, University of Gothenburg
  Presenting Author

• Magdalena Taube, University of Gothenburg
  Presenting Author

• Mette Liljenberg, University of Gothenburg
  Presenting Author

• Klas Andersson, University of Gothenburg
  Presenting Author