Key elements of networking in life sciences: collective creative thinking and team work

In 2006, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC) with eleven Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) universities and academic organizations from six countries (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine) formed the Regional Cooperation for Health, Science and Technology Consortium. In 2012, CSMC converted the Consortium into the Association for Regional Cooperation in the Fields of Health, Science and Technology (RECOOP HST). Members of the Association are from nine countries (Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Ukraine, and USA). The challenge of the construction of the Association was the integration of individual research goals into team research strategies. Building collaborative research work demands comprehensive knowledge of the economic and cultural environment, even the actual political climate, and foremost the funding mechanism that the participating organizations are challenging and utilizing. Also it is very important to have resources for face-to-face and networking meetings, annual scientific review conferences, and project management. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center provided such a support for RECOOP HST Association and that was the key to success (1).