Description: Addressing complex societal and environmental challenges increasingly depends on effective collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and institutions. Yet successful teamwork rarely emerges spontaneously—it requires the deliberate development of collaboration skills and capacities at both the individual and team level. This session explores how these capabilities can be cultivated and sustained within research and problem-solving teams.

Join our guests L. Michelle Bennett and Stephen M. Fiore as they draw on insights from their many i2Insights blog contributions to examine practical strategies for strengthening team science capacity. Their work explores topics such as developing a collaborative mindset, understanding stages of team development, and addressing common barriers in interdisciplinary work. Together, these perspectives emphasize that collaboration is a learnable skill set supported by intentional structures, training, and community. Participants will gain an overview of key competencies associated with effective team science and learn how these capabilities can be supported by institutions, funders, and educators. The session will also reflect on how building these competencies contributes to stronger research integration and more productive responses to complex, real-world problems.

This webinar is the next installment in our 2025-2026 series celebrating the 10th anniversary of the i2Insights blog and repository. Each session highlights enduring “gold nuggets” from the blog’s archives – ideas and practices that continue to influence how we collaborate to address today’s complex challenges.

Speakers:

• L. Michelle Bennett--L.M. Bennett Consulting

• Stephen Fiore--University of Central Florida