Benefits and barriers for researcher-practitioner collaboration on marine and coastal management issues

Abstract

The complex management problems facing marine and coastal systems require diverse, multidisciplinary perspectives to inform more holistic, sustainable management. Collaboration between researchers and practitioners is needed to maximise the utility of research to management and ensure management is informed by the best available scientific advice. However, collaboration across the research-policy interface is notoriously difficult. Here, using results from two online surveys, we explore the benefits and barriers for UK-based researchers and practitioners when collaborating with each other. We found complimentary motivations for collaboration: researchers were most often motivated to collaborate in order to have impact and for their research to be used, while practitioners wanted to gain access to expertise and deliver on evidence needs. For both groups the most common barrier to collaboration was time constraints. For researchers these time constraints were compounded by a lack of recognition for practitioner-focused research activity, while practitioners faced compounding issues around poor delivery or low utility of research outputs. There was also recognition of the differing agendas between the groups and how this can impede collaboration. With the exception of early-career researchers, both groups relied heavily on existing contacts when initiating collaborations and results highlight the importance of ongoing investment by both groups in relationship development, knowledge exchange and networking opportunities. Alongside that, we argue a major perception shift is needed with academia, such that (applied) science in the direct service of society has the same prestige as (blue-sky) science in the service of curiosity.