Determining the outcomes and impacts of formal research networks

External stakeholders can influence network activities for good or ill, and one of the criterion for success of a network are the dynamics of network connections created by stakeholders not identified at the inception of the network (for example, public interest groups, who may have a different point of view from the identified stakeholders). [...] The examples given do not reflect actual positions of the networks represented at the workshop but characterise the reflection of the authors on the risks in terms of a network’s ability to network, examples are from the field of health and medical research. [...] The first is that the former is often established with the purpose of improving the embedding of players and of increasing the numbers of players. [...] Problematization: To problematize is to define a specific problem and a potential solution, enroll and define the actors within the network in which this problem will be undertaken, and co-relate the interests of actors so that they match the interests of the system builder. [...] Were there enough meetings either face-to-face and online to build a sense of unity and joint interest both in the outcomes of the network and in the interesting research questions confronting both the academics and stakeholders.