Hybrid Knowledge Networks Supporting the Collaborative Multidisciplinary Research

Virtual networks are becoming increasingly important instruments for knowledge and collaboration management. In addition, research, development, and innovation performances are among the most important activities in modern organisations. These two issues deal with complex problems that companies, universities, and other organisations can only face with multidisciplinary, geographically widespread teams. This article describes the setup of a model of a hybrid knowledge network that can group and connect together universities and researchers and enable them to collaborate. The proposed model for the virtual network is based on the conjunction of the personal and organisational aspects of collaboration. Due to this union within the organisational structure, two main levels of collaboration have been envisaged, namely the institutional one and the individual one.