requests-for-collaboration.md

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Collaboration with the Network Canvas Team

Our team welcomes opportunities for formal collaboration with external partners. These collaborations typically entail, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: 

Software Development

Development of new functionality within the Network Canvas software. Such collaborations may include the technical design and implementation of a new feature or entirely new interface, or simply a minor modification of the existing software to accommodate the needs of a particular study. 

Research Consultancy

Consultation on the design and implementation of Network Canvas within a study. Such collaborations might entail attending regular project meetings where expert advice or technical assistance is provided to a research group as they design their network data protocol or design their network study. Occasionally our role goes beyond advice, and members of our team might develop a Network Canvas protocol for a research group, participate in the training of the interview team, contribute to data analysis or publications resulting from the research project. 

Customized Training

Bespoke hands-on training in Network Canvas for a research group or organization. Such collaborations might include the preparation and delivery of a workshop designed around the needs of a particular research group or study within a specific institution or organization. Outside of contracted training collaborations, our team conducts yearly workshops at the annual Sunbelt Conference for the International Network of Social Network Analysis (INSNA) and regularly updates our online user documentation and tutorial videos to facilitate easy uptake of the tool.  

Technical Support

Dedicated technical support for Network Canvas implementations. Such collaborations typically entail the ongoing involvement of our team in providing technical assistance to a research group during a portion or the entirety of their study, which utilizes Network Canvas. We may field questions related to implementation roadblocks of a technical nature and help address emergent issues that arise during data collection and management. Outside of a formal collaboration, our team is available to answer limited questions via email within the scope of our grant. 

Pursuing a Paid Collaboration with Our Team

All collaboration requests should be sent by email to info@networkcanvas.com for consideration. Please include a brief overview of your study, timeline, and your intention for the scope of engagement.

Collaboration Models

Depending on the intended collaboration, one of the following will apply:

• Subcontract through Northwestern University

  • Institutional subcontracts are the most common mechanism for collaboration with our team. They allow for sustained engagement with multiple members of our core Network Canvas team based at Northwestern University and allow for collaboration across multiple areas of a study (e.g., software development and implementation consultation). 
  • Subcontracts can be planned preceding a grant submission or after a grant is awarded, and always require a scope of work and a budget that includes indirect costs applied by Northwestern University. 

• Subcontract through the University of Oxford

  • Institutional subcontracts through the University of Oxford are appropriate when an individual investigator or research group seeks collaboration directly with project Co-I Dr. Bernie Hogan specifically.
  • Subcontracts can be planned preceding a grant submission or after a grant is awarded, and always require a scope of work and a budget that includes indirect costs applied by the University of Oxford. 

• Consultancy through CODACO

  • Consultation agreements through our not-for-profit CODACO may be appropriate when an intended collaboration entails multiple members of our team and where a subcontract cannot be undertaken (e.g., budget constraints, alignment of research to academic team’s foci).

• Individual Consultancy 

  • Individual consultation agreements between a single member of our team and an external partner may be appropriate when the scope of collaboration is limited to a single activity that does not require involvement of more than one member (e.g., a limited scope software development request). 
  • Consultation agreement would be established between the member of the team and the external partner directly. 

All paid collaborations are considered based on the following: 

• the interest of team members
• the time and effort required of team members
• the extent to which the proposed collaboration may impede progress on ongoing funded projects. 

Decisions regarding engagement in external collaborations are made solely by the CODACO Board of Directors or the Network Canvas project team (depending on the type of collaboration sought), following a simple majority rule.