Mapping the collaborative landscape at the University of Glasgow
Understanding the University’s existing collaborative landscape, both internally across disciplines and externally across global and community partnerships, is essential to lay the groundwork for a more intentional, equitable, and future‑focused collaborative culture.
The Glasgow Changing Futures (GCF) programme is making the invisible visible by analysing the who, what, where and how of collaboration across the institution.
A commitment to addressing complex research and societal challenges through collaboration is central to the University of Glasgow's strategy. Likewise, policymakers, funders, and partner organisations expect universities to work across disciplines, sectors, and geographies.
Collaboration requires the right enabling conditions to flourish: supportive systems, clear information, shared incentives, and a culture that values working across boundaries.
However, the practices and systems that enable collaboration have not always kept pace.
Structures can inhibit rather than enable teamwork; incentives often reward individual rather than collective achievement; and the collaborative landscape can be opaque, disconnected, or difficult to navigate.
GCF’s Collaborative Futures challenge area was established to respond directly to this challenge. A core part of this work is understanding the ecosystem in which collaboration happens: the people, structures, networks, and partnerships that shape the University’s capacity to work together effectively.
Goals
The goal of the institutional collaborative landscape mapping is to build a comprehensive, evidence‑informed picture of the University’s collaborative environment. It will in turn help to:
- Enhance our understanding of existing and emerging strengths across the institution
- Reveal the “horizontal ecosystem” that sits across the University’s vertical, disciplinary structures
- Strengthen visibility and connectivity of networks, clusters, and collaborative groups that might otherwise remain hidden
- Understand how external partnerships intersect with internal activity
- Identify gaps, fragmentation, or barriers that might limit collaboration
- Guide future investment in our collaborative environment
- Provide a platform for new collaborative opportunities aligned with institutional and national priorities
The activity will help to create the conditions for collaboration to thrive - not by simply expecting it to happen, but by understanding how it happens and how it can be better supported.
Method
Mapping our internal landscape
Mapping of the internal landscape: the networks and relationships that underpin much of our challenge-led work revealed an extensive ecosystem of cross‑College collaborative entities, ranging from formal centres to informal thematic groups. Many of these collaborative activities are not readily visible in traditional metrics such as awards or publications. By building our awareness and understanding of our internal landscape, we can better support emerging challenge-led research and innovation themes.
The Planning, Insights & Analytics (PIA) team are developing tools that enable the analysis and visualisation of this activity. This will provide a dynamic view of how researchers and groups connect across boundaries.
Mapping our low- and middle-income country collaborations
Understanding our low- and middle-income country collaborations includes geographic and thematic mapping of international partnerships addressing global societal challenges. This creates opportunities to enhance visibility of these activities, foster greater cohesion and evidence our commitment to equitable research partnerships.
Insights
Whilst this work is at an early stage, an interesting picture of our collaborative landscape is emerging. We have a rich ecosystem of challenge-led collaboration and an exciting opportunity to better connect across this ecosystem to enhance cross-School and cross-College challenge-led activities aligned to our distinctive strengths.
Mapping of the collaborative landscape is more than a data exercise; it is a strategic approach to helping the University of Glasgow understand itself in new ways. By revealing the networks, partnerships, and emerging strengths that drive challenge-led work, the mapping initiative is helping build the foundations for a more connected, intentional, and equitable collaborative future.
Next Steps
GCF has modest funding available to enhance challenge-led collaboration across Colleges and this call will be launching in April 2026.
Alongside this, we will be leading a University-wide research project, Towards the University of the Future, which will allow us to build an evidence-informed picture of collaboration at UofG. In partnership with the Advanced Research Centre and co-led by colleagues from across the university, this research will examine the conditions that enable and sustain collaborative work, the barriers that exist, and where creative and innovative practices are already emerging. The first phase (March-July 2026) will involve a University-wide survey, complemented by interviews and focus groups to capture perceptions and experiences across disciplines, roles, and career stages. Insights from this work will inform how we design and support existing and future collaborative initiatives across the institution in later phases of the research.
