Recruiting Research Partners and Co-PIs

We meet with many individual faculty who have amazing research projects for which they are seeking funding. However, in our competitive funding climate, funding sponsors are favoring projects that take different perspectives and involve different areas of expertise, and even different disciplines.

Researchers realize that they need different expertise for their projects, but oftentimes in the midst of developing their research, they assume they need to develop these other areas of expertise for themselves instead of seeking out partners.

Recently, a researcher asked me how they could incentivize a researcher in another field to partner with them, which I think is an important and not a simple question. So, today I offer a couple of key considerations for reaching out to potential collaborators.

Define your project but be flexible
Before you approach a potential collaborator, create and practice the pitch. What is your project idea? Why is it important? Who will it help? What will success look like? When you have your pitch down, sit down with your potential partner and get their feedback. Perhaps send them an email with a short description of who you are and your project and tell them you'd like to take them to coffee to get their perspective.

When you sit down with them, ask them for their perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of the project? This initial dialogue and feedback session serves a few purposes. First, it engages the collaborator with you and with your project. Second, they make a small initial investment in you and the project by meeting with you, learning about the project, and providing their thoughts (in the fundraising world, this is how you develop interest/investment by potential donors too). Third, you get a sense of how they might be able to contribute to the project and if they will be a good complement to you and your expertise.

It is important that you can clearly describe you project, but also important that you be open to new ideas and alternative approaches. If you are just trying to recruit a "partner," so you can put their name on your grant and up your chances of funding, the chances of this being a productive partnership and your ability to effectively recruit someone are slim. Remember, partners do need to see what is in it for them.

Make a clear ask for their commitment and agree on roles, work, and outcomes
In a serendipitous scenario, once you have presented your project and discussed it with the perfect collaborator to complement your expertise, they will suggest that they partner with you on it. If they do not, gauge their interest. Ask them if they might be interested in developing the project with you and partnering on it.

When they say, "Yes, I thought you'd never ask!" your work is not yet done. It is essential that all members of a research team understand their roles and the roles of each other. Who is going to do what and by when? Who will be the PI and Co-PI? What publications do you expect and what authoring order makes the most sense? You want all team members going into a collaborative project with their eyes open. So, have the discussion, and be upfront with your expectations and contributions to create a productive partnership and a game-changing research project.

Additional Resources
Please find more research collaboration resources on the ORDE Website.