Supporting collaborative research in information science: The RADAR program as a model for academic-practitioner team engagement

Supporting academics and practitioners to collaborate is critical to advance innovations in research and practice. The Research Assistance and Development for Australian Researchers (RADAR) program was designed to: 1) provide funding to teams to implement co-designed, practice-informed research projects; and 2) to document academics and practitioners' experiences of a scaffolded program of support for collaborative research. Conducted within a larger project exploring strategies to foster research culture in information science, the RADAR program developed a community of practice to share experiences through group meetings, blogging, and webinars. Teams conducted original research over 12-months, from initial design through data collection and publishing. Qualitative interviews were conducted at two points in the program, to document RADAR participants' experiences. Findings demonstrate practitioners and academics bring complementary skills and expertise to collaborations, which enhances research practice for mutual benefit. However, collaborators also have specific needs requiring further support from employers, associations, and funders, for meaningful outcomes.