DARE is a novel approach for understanding and assessing collaborations between individuals involved in knowledge creation and application. DARE uses a combination of narratives, maps and indicators to explore how individuals, often with diverse experiences and backgrounds, work as a team to bridge differences and boundaries. The method reveals how these efforts shape the outcomes of collaborations. An advantage of DARE is that the method provides a way to evaluate the progress of collaborations as they are happening. In doing so, DARE provides policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders with a framework to make near-term improvements to collaborative projects.

While other evaluation approaches may look at the outputs of collaborations, DARE observes the way teams and wider stakeholders collaborate with the goal of aiding the design of funded research initiatives.

DARE has been developed and applied in the field of research evaluation, but is a flexible approach that can be adapted for a range of purposes. If you are interested in discussing the application of DARE, please contact the team.