The networking university - A study of a Swedish university using institutional co-authorships as an indicator

This article examines the subject of research collaboration, and elaborates on this subject on an institutional rather than an individual level. An empirical case-study is presented; the research collaboration of Umea University in Sweden, during the period 1991-1993 is investigated. Institutional co-authorships based on the addresses of the departments are used as an indicator of this collaboration. The results are separated into three levels: the local level, the national level, and the international level. It is obvious that the research collaboration is most extensive. Finally the university's collaboration is discussed and a scheme is proposed with the purpose to understand research collaboration in a social as well as a cognitive context. The guiding terms here are access, visibility and attractiveness.