Collaborative research requires synergy among diverse partners, overall direction, and flexibility at multiple levels. There is a need to learn from practical experience in fostering cooperation towards research outcomes, coordinating geographically dispersed teams, and bridging distinct incentives and ways of working. This article reflects on the experience of the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), a multi-consortium programme which sought to build resilience to regional climate change. Participants valued the consortium as a network that provided connections with distinct sources of expertise, as a means to gain experience and skills beyond the remit of their home organisation. Consortia were seen as an avenue for reaching scale both in terms of working across regions, as well as in terms of moving research into practice. CARIAA began with programme-level guidance on climate hotspots and collaboration, alongside consortium-level visions on research agenda and design. Consortia created and implemented work plans defining each organisation’s role and responsibilities and coordinated activities across numerous partners, dispersed locations, and diverse cultural settings. Nested committees provided coherence and autonomy at the programme, consortium, and activity-level. Each level had some discretion in how to deploy funding, creating multiple collaborative spaces that served to further interconnect participants. The experience of CARIAA affirms documented strategies for collaborative research, including project vision, partner compatibility, skilled managers, and multi-level planning. Collaborative research also needs an ability to revise membership and structures as needed in response to changing involvement of partners over time.

协作研究需要不同合作伙伴之间的协同作用，总体方向以及多层次的灵活性。有必要从实践经验中学习，以促进研究成果方面的合作，协调地域分散的团队以及架设不同的激励机制和工作方式。本文反映了非洲和亚洲合作适应研究计划（CARIAA）的经验，该计划是一个多财团计划，旨在增强对区域气候变化的适应力。参与者认为该财团是一个网络，该网络提供了与不同专业知识来源的联系，是一种在其本国组织的职权范围之外获得经验和技能的手段。就跨区域工作而言，联盟被视为达到规模的途径，以及将研究付诸实践。CARIAA首先是针对气候热点和合作的计划级指南，以及针对研究议程和设计的财团级愿景。联盟制定并实施了工作计划，定义了每个组织的角色和职责，并协调了众多合作伙伴，分散的地区和不同的文化背景下的活动。嵌套委员会在计划，财团和活动级别提供了连贯性和自治性。每个级别在如何分配资金方面都有一定的酌处权，可以创建多个协作空间，以进一步互连参与者。CARIAA的经验肯定了已记录的协作研究策略，包括项目愿景，合作伙伴兼容性，熟练的管理人员和多层计划。